Parent Trap
by Lasting Violet
Summary: When Corrine left Louis, everything was split, including their twin daughters. After 8 years of secrets, the two meet at Princess Charm School, neither expecting to meet the other. At first they seem like polar opposites but they learn to work together to get each other what they both wanted for so long, a sister and a complete family. Based off the movie Parent Trap.
1. Starting a new Life

Everyone thinks that the words spoken at the altar would last a lifetime, but they sometimes don't. It's the happiest day of your life, walking down the aisle, claiming your love to another and sharing a kiss to seal the deal. Your world is a world full of happiness but it comes crashing down when the love of your life says these words: "I think we should get a divorce", yet it always comes unexpectedly.

* * *

One day Corinne packs her bag and leaves with Louisa. Expecting Louis to come after her like he always does. But he never did, thinking Corinne would come back. That was the day their worlds came crashing down.

Before that incident their Royal Highnesses King Louis and Queen Corinne had two daughters, Princess Courtney and Princess Louisa. They were identical twins and both had their mother's blond hair, lips and icy blue eyes while they inherited their father's nose and ears. The twins were never seen apart until Corinne left with Louisa and Courtney stayed with Louis. When Corinne was said to be found dead, her title of Queen was taken away and all traces of her as queen was burned by the Grand Visor against Louis' wishes. But what the Grand Visor did not know was that one portrait of the entire royal family was hidden in the castle attic, covered with a heavy cloth and forgotten. After leaving the palace, Corrine never tried to contact Louis. Neither of them told their daughter that she had a twin sister in another country.

* * *

Louisa is a typical 9 year old girl that lives with her mother Corinne D'Artagnan and her grandmother Marie D'Artagnan in Vienna. "It's time, it's time! Its princess charm school lottery time! We have to watch!" Louisa told her mom, pulling her onto the couch.

What happens on the TV

Headmistress Privet is seen walking up to the podium to deliver her speech. "At princess charm school, those born to royal life unlock their princess potential in a four year course that starts at the ages of 9, 12, 15 and 18. They would come to school for a year and return home for two years to show what they have learned in school. But every year, four regular citizens of Vienna win a full scholarship (that lasts all 4 years) with the chance to become a lady royal to a princess." She takes an envelope out of the box, opens the envelope and reads it. "This year's lady royals in training will be, Louisa D'Artagnan, Trista Stuart, Rose O'Brien and Aria Spencer."

"Yes! We're going to go to princess charm school. I knew it. Now the four of us will really be together. Just like when you first arrived to Paris when you were seventeen. I hope we share a dorm," Louisa exclaimed.

Suddenly a knock at the door is heard. Louisa jumps up to answer the door and a guard is seen gesturing Louisa to the carriage. Louisa runs to the door, blows her mom a kiss and the carriage rolls away. Corinne watches with a sad smile as her daughter leaves to princess charm school for her scholarship. _Who'd have thought that Louisa would be going to princess charm school? I should tell Viveca, Armina and Renée now all our girls will be going to the same school. Although they probably heard it on the TV. Who knew that none of our daughters wouldn't have an interest in fighting and would rather become related to royalty_? She then arranges to meet her friends at the café.

* * *

Louis was impatiently waiting in the garden for his daughter Courtney to emerge from the palace. After waiting five minutes, the blue eyed girl exited the place and went into the garden.

"Sorry I'm late papa," Courtney said.

"It's all right, although having to wait is not ideal. Now as we know, you are leaving the castle in half an hour with Captain Treville to ensure that you arrive in Vienna on time for your first day of school at princess charm school. Everything should be packed and you are ready to go," Louis says.

"Of course it is. I finished yesterday," Courtney said as a sigh of longing escapes her lips. She had been waiting for her whole life to attend Princess Charm School and was super excited for the first day of school.

They walk in the garden for several minutes before Louis stops in front of a bed of irises and picks a purple iris.

"Here you go milady. Do you remember why an iris is so important to us?" Louis asked.

"Well I know that it is the flower that represents France, but that's all," Courtney replied.

"Yes you are right; it is the national flower of France. I'm glad you actually listened to your tutor. But a purple iris also symbolizes wisdom and compliments. I know that you are very smart and I'm sure you will receive many compliments at Princess Charm School. It's time to get into the carriage," Louis said after consulting his watch.

"Bye papa, I'll see you at Christmas. I love you!" Courtney said as she got into the carriage.

"Have a safe trip Courtney. Call the castle when you arrive in Vienna. I'll miss you too!" Louis shouted as the carriage rolled out of the courtyard and out of sight.

* * *

 **So this is my first fanfic and I hope you like it. It takes place in 1992.**

 **Feel free to tell me what you think.**

 **Cheerio,**

 **Lasting Violet**


	2. The arrival at Princess Charm School

As the carriage rolls into school grounds, Louisa couldn't help but gape at the sights. "Thank you for the ride," She says as she gets out, "Could you maybe show me around?" she asks the driver as he pulls away. "Um, okay maybe not."

Courtney stays rooted in the ground until she hears three familiar voices." There you are. We were looking for you!" Trista, Rose and Aria exclaimed.

"Hello girls, you must be the lottery winners. Welcome to Princess Charm School!" A new voice exclaimed.

The girls turned around to see headmistress Privet looking at them.

"Shall I take you to your dorm?" Headmistress Privet asked.

"Yes please," the girls replied.

As they walk to the dorms in the west wing, headmistress Privet shows the girls around. "Well girls, here we are at your dorm. The four of you will room together along with Princess Courtney. You will have the day off to explore the city and castle grounds and tomorrow's classes will start promptly at 8 in the morning."

"Can we please go shopping in the city?" Trista asked.

"Seeing that you're asking to go shopping, it'll most likely take the whole day," Aria said with a groan.

 _Shopping actually did take the whole day since Trista insisted that they go into every store and try on a gazillion clothes. But the girls returned to the school empty handed since Trista insisted that nothing in the stores were perfect, so it shouldn't be bought._

The girls returned to their dorm late at night and were surprised that their last roommate hasn't arrived yet.

"Goodnight girls. Maybe we'll meet our new roommate tomorrow," Louisa said very sleepily.

"Goodnight!" the other girls exclaimed.

* * *

It was dark when I arrived at the palace where I would be staying. I walked into the palace. It was dimly lit since it was really late at night and most people had already gone to bed, they would probably be asleep by now. I must've gone into a dozen wrong rooms before finding the door with my name on it. When I walked into my dorm, I noticed that there were four other girls that were already asleep. But since I don't want to wake them I'll have to unpack tomorrow.

I dialed the castle's number and left a message on the phone seeing that nobody answered. It feels weird talking on the phone when I can't see the person I'm talking to. Papa always laughs at me when I tell him this. Just thinking about him makes me feel sad and lonely. But I must keep my promise and start the year well and get a good night's sleep the day before the first day of school.

I got into the last empty bed and promptly fell asleep, tired from the long journey.

* * *

 **So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I know that it's a little short. I'll try to make the next one longer.  
**

 **Thank you to my lovely reviewers. Your comments were all wonderful and really made my day.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	3. Getting to know each other

"Oh, it's really early, the sun just came up. I hope they serve breakfast early here," Louisa says under her breath as she tries to find the dining hall. As she is walking in the hallways, she bumps into two girls. Both girls fall to the floor. "Oh no. I'm so sorry, you're…" Louisa starts, but is then interrupted by one of the girls.

"Furious! That's what I am! How dare you! Have you any idea how to walk like a normal person?!" Lila yells.

"Of course I do," Louisa says trying to defend herself.

"Then why did you fall onto me?" Lila demands.

"Well I just got here yesterday and I'm not very familiar with the layout of things here and I guess I was deep in thought when I bumped into you," Louisa replies.

"You just got here yesterday? Let me guess, you're one of the lottery winners. I'm guessing you're Louisa D'Artagnan. " Lila retorts.

"So you understand what this is like for me. Everything in here is so new to me and..." Louisa responded.

"I understand that the lottery is a joke. Isn't it obvious? Commoners like you just don't belong here. Right, Miranda?" Lila says.

"Uh, what did you say?" Miranda asked.

"Never mind. Let's go back to our room. I need to change. My shirt now has a speck of dust, thanks to Louisa," Lila says before making a hasty leave towards her room.

Louisa then manages to reach the dining hall safely and relief washes over her. She then notices that there are several people already eating breakfast and she notices the Headmistress Privet is already here. "Good morning headmistress Privet."

"Good morning to you as well Louisa. How was your first night? I hope you liked your dorm," Headmistress Privet said.

"Oh yes it was wonderful. I have a question for you though. Can we go to a more private place to talk?" asked Louisa.

"Of course. Why don't we go to my office to talk," headmistress Privet replied.

And with that they left the dining hall.

* * *

As Courtney wakes up she sees three other girls half asleep in bed. Wanting to get to know them a bit, she decides to introduce herself. "Hello, my name is Courtney Rousseau. I'm the princess of France and one of your roommates."

"Louisa, stop joking. We know who you are," Rose replied half asleep.

"Um. I'm not Louisa, I've never even heard of her before. Like I said earlier, I'm Courtney," She replied.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I thought you were our other roommate, Louisa." Rose then takes a better look at Courtney, "Is it just me or is there a big resemblance between Louisa and Courtney **,** " Rose said now wide awake.

"It's true. They both have that blond hair and those icy blue eyes," Trista noted.

"Do you think that they could be astrological twins?" Rose replied.

"Astro what twins?! Rose, have you been filing up your head with nonsense from those books again?" Aria asked indignantly.

"Of course I haven't been. Astrological twins are people who are absolutely identical in appearance without being even distantly related. They happen to be born in the same fraction of the same second. It would make sense in this situation since Louisa is a country girl while Courtney is royalty," Rose explained.

"Where is Louisa? I want to compare the two," stated Aria.

"She's not in bed, I think she went to breakfast already. She's always one of the first people to wake up," Rose replied.

"We can probably catch her at breakfast. We'll introduce you later," Trista told Courtney.

"Thanks," Courtney replied.

* * *

 _All day Louisa and Courtney have the same classes, but they take no notice of each other. Or at least until their last class for the day._

"Poise, proper poise commands respect. It is necessary for anyone in the royal life. Thank you, Lila for showing us how to do this. Now princesses and lady royals start off with one book and glide! Smoothly and gracefully," Headmistress Privet says.

Courtney is confidently walking around until someone bumps into her. She falls down and hits another girl until all girls are sprawled on the floor like dominoes. Well, except for Louisa.

"She really is a bowling ball" Lila whispers to the girls around her. Causing the class to erupt in laughter.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry! I was trying really hard and... Here let me help you up," Louisa says as she reaches over to help Courtney up. As their fingers touch, they both stay frozen for a minute. A current of some sort is running between them. They both let go at the same moment and it sends Courtney tumbling to the ground again.

Courtney then scrambles up. "Have I seen you before?" She asks Louisa who runs out of the room.

"That's Louisa. Our last roommate. And don't worry, we can probably catch her in our dorm after class," Trista told her.

"Headmistress Privet, may I go after Louisa?" Courtney asks.

"Yes and there is no need to return. Class will be over in a minute," Headmistress Privet replied.

"Thank you, "Courtney says as she runs out of the room.

"Are you alright? How do you run so fast?" Courtney asks Louisa once she arrives in their dorm.

Louisa turns around and for the first time they see each other's faces. They freeze. It's like looking into a mirror and finding out that your reflection is alive.

At that moment, Trista, Rose and Aria run into the room and they stop in their tracks and look from Courtney to Louisa- stunned at the resemblance.

"See they look exactly alike. They could be astrological twins. I told you so!" Rose says triumphantly.

 _The bell rings signaling the end of the day._

"Why is everyone staring?" Louisa asks, wondering why everyone was staring at her.

"Don't you see it?" Courtney responds.

"See what?" Louisa asks clearly confused.

"The resemblance between us. If you can't see it, you might need glasses," Courtney replies.

"Between you and me?! A resemblance? Let me see, turn sideways ..." She says as Courtney turns. "Now the other way..." Courtney turns again. "Well, your eyes are much closer together than mine. Your ears stick out, and that nose... well, don't worry, those things can be fixed."

"Louisa, what in the world do you think you're saying?" Rose demands.

"Hold on, I'm not quite finished. You want to know the real difference between us?" Louisa asked.

"I'm a princess and you aren't? Or I know how to walk without falling and you don't? Take your pick," Courtney replies.

Louisa angrily steps forward but Trista steps between them. "Okay guys, can we break up the fight?" Trista asks.

Louisa runs out of the room.

"Well that meeting didn't go too well. Don't worry about her, Courtney. She's always that stubborn and her temper is really bad. She'll come back in when she's ready," Aria says with a sigh.

"But I shouldn't have said those things to her either. I let my temper get the better of me," Courtney says mournfully.

"You can apologize later. Louisa has a big heart and is always ready to forgive people. Well, once she has a chance to cool down a bit," Rose said.

"I don't think your temper can be worse than Louisa's mom. I saw her break a door when she was only a little mad," Trista chuckled.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Cheerio** **,**

 **Lasting Violet**


	4. Sisters

For the next few days Courtney and Louisa try to get along with each other, but it doesn't really work. When Monday arrived, Rose, Trista and Aria were ready to head home for the balloon festivals. The festivities would last all week and balloons would float into the sky every night starting at sunset. Rose was looking forward to the ballet show that she would see and the annual picnic on a hot air balloon with her mom. Trista couldn't wait to get home and help her mom make some fabulous dresses at her mom's store. Aria couldn't wait to go to the concert with her mom.

Unfortunately, this left Courtney and Louisa at school by themselves because Courtney's father had important issues to deal with and needed Treville's help, so he couldn't escort her back to the palace. Louisa's mother was away on a mission and her grandmother was visiting friends, so Louisa wouldn't see any family if she went home. So Courtney and Louisa are the only two girls to stay at Princess Charm School over the holidays. Not wanting to have any unnecessary interaction, the two girls stay in separate rooms.

After a few hours of silence Courtney got bored, so she decided to go into the room Louisa was in. "I'm a little bored. Want to do something?"She asks.

"Think you can beat me in a fencing match?"Louisa asks.

"You're on."Courtney replies.

For the next five minutes, the only sound you can hear is the sound of clanging of swords. In the end, Louisa won the battle. "You're not bad considering that you're a princess and I guess I'm sorry about what I said when we first met."

"Thank you. I think," Courtney replied. "My dad taught me how to fence. He said it was for my protection and it's all right you were probably spooked between the resemblance between us."

"You and your dad must be close," Louisa guesses.

"Yeah. He's like my best friend," Courtney smiles.

"What about your mom?" Louisa asks curiously.

"I don't have a mom. I mean I've had one once, but apparently after my parents divorced she died. But I know she was really pretty because my dad had an old picture of her in his desk and he caught me looking at it all the time so he gave it to me." Courtney states.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."Louisa apologizes, not wanting to hurt Courtney's feelings again.

"No, no. It's all right. Besides how could you have known until you asked? I'm used to telling people about it."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I have never met my dad because he left my mom when I was a baby."

"Surprisingly enough, that doesn't make me feel any better but thanks for trying." Courtney chuckled. "Although I have to say that it kind of sucks that nobody's staying together anymore these days."

"So true." Louisa sighs. The silence between the girls was interrupted by the sound of Courtney's growling stomach."Do you want to go into town to find something to eat?" Louisa suggests.

"I don't know if I can hold out that long. Hold on a sec," Courtney leans her sword against the couch and went towards her trunk to get something."I know that it's here somewhere….ah, here we go." Courtney pulls out a bag full of Fritos. "Shannon, my lady-in-waiting wouldn't let me leave the castle without these."

"Oh my gosh, I love those things!" Louisa exclaims.

I practically consider them to be a basic food group. But my dad doesn't think it's healthy, he says it ruins your complexion." Courtney laughs.

"Hey would you happen to … you know what, never mind," Louisa starts.

"What is it?" Courtney asks.

"Nothing really," Louisa replies.

"Come on, you know that you want to tell me," Courtney coaxes.

"Okay fine. Well whenever I'm at home, I eat these with chocolate syrup," Louisa said giving up.

"Really?" Courtney asks looking shocked.

"Yeah. I know it's weird," Louisa states.

"Yeah. It's so weird. But it's only because I like to do the same thing at the castle!" Courtney confides as she rummages in her trunk for a few more minutes and pulls out a bottle of chocolate syrup.

"No way! Most people think it's totally gross, but I think it's a delicacy that should be shared with everyone. At least that's what I tell my mom." Louisa laughs.

"You want some?" Courtney offered.

"Of course," Louisa takes some, pours the chocolate syrup and hands the bottle back to Courtney. "Thank you," Louisa said as she eats her favorite snack."It's funny because on my birthday, my mom will always humor me and eat an entire bag of these with me to prove that she can handle it when I know she thinks it's really gross," Louisa says as she pops another chip into her mouth.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Courtney giggles.

"Trust me it is, and that's one reason that I look forward to my birthday on May 30th so much." Louisa replies.

After hearing this, Courtney went into a coughing frenzy, having choked on her last chip. "Did you say your birthday's on May 30th? And you're turning 10?"

"Um, yeah. Why?" Louisa asks.

"Because that's my birthday too and I'm also turning 10!" Courtney exclaims.

"Okay..." Louisa says and breathes in an attempt to calm herself down."This is getting too weird."

"Tell me about it," Courtney agrees as she pulls on her locket.

"Hey. What are you playing with?" Louisa asks.

"It's just my locket," Courtney says, holding up a golden heart locket with a C on it. Louisa stares at the necklace for several seconds before putting her hands through her hair.

"This can't be happening," Louisa practically whines.

"What's wrong?" Courtney asks and was soon answered when Louisa pulls out an identical locket to her own except hers had an 'L' instead of a 'C'. Seeing this causes Courtney to play with her locket even more.

Without warning, Louisa shoots up off the bed and looks at Courtney with a confidant smile, "You know what, this is probably just a coincidence."Louisa states. Courtney looks at her as if she were crazy and was about to say so when Louisa holds up her hand, signaling to let her finish. "I mean come on, people share the same birthday all the time and maybe my mom got this necklace at the same place you got yours."

"The only problem is that I had this since I was a baby," Courtney explains.

"I was really hoping that you weren't going to say that," Louisa said after a groan.

"Well it's the truth. I'm sorry it disappoints you," Courtney shrugs.

"I need something to chew on. Do you have gum?" Louisa asks.

"Gum?" Courtney says sounding confused.

"Yeah, the thing you chew and blow bubbles with," Louisa describes, knowing that Courtney knew what she was talking about.

"Can you stop thinking about your stomach at a time like this!" Courtney demands.

"At a time like what?" Louisa asks.

"Don't you realize what's happening?! Don't you find it odd that we both look so much alike and have the same birthday and..." Courtney stops abruptly.

"Oh man, this is beyond coincidence, this is beyond imagination! I only have a mom," Louisa starts.

"I only have a dad. You've never seen your dad and I've never seen my mom. You have one old picture of your dad, I have one old picture of my mom but at least yours is probably a whole picture," Courtney rants. Louisa drifts over to her desk. "Mine's a pathetic little thing, ripped right down the middle... What are you rummaging in your desk for?"

Louisa turns, holding a photo to her chest. "This. It's the picture of my dad. And it's ripped, too."

"Right down the middle?" Courtney asks.

Louisa nods, nervously, "Right down the middle."

Courtney rushes to her trunk, wildly tossing out her things. She pulls out a small box, opens it and carefully takes out her ripped photograph. She walks to Louisa, holding it to her chest.

"This is so freaky. Okay. On the count of three, we'll show them to each other, okay?" Louisa says.

"One... two... "Courtney and Louisa both say.

"Three!" Louisa says.

They both put their part of the photo together, when placed next to each other they fit perfectly, forming one complete photo. Tears sprang out of Louisa and Courtney's eyes as they look at the full picture for the first time.

In the photo, Corinne and Louis sit closely together at a table that was lit up with candles. Behind them are their friends and some of the musketeers, all of them smiling cheerfully. Louis gazes into Corinne's eyes lovingly with his hands wrapped around her as he pulls her towards him. Their lips were parted, but it looks like they were about to kiss and the photographer caught them at a bad time. Marie, their grandmother could also be seen smiling proudly in the background with a glass full of wine in her hand.

"That's my mom..." Louisa starts.

"And that's my dad..." Courtney finishes.

The girls stare at the photo, then at each other. A strange formality settles on them. They both reach for their lockets.

"You know what, I'm not so hungry anymore." Courtney says slowly.

"But if my mom is your mom and your dad is my dad... and we're both born on May 30th, then you and I are... like... sisters," Louisa says slowly.

"Sisters?! Louisa, we're twins!" Courtney exclaims.

Frozen in her place, Courtney laughs untill tears come to her eyes. Louisa's eyes fill up and soon tears streak her cheeks. They put their arms around each other and embrace while sobbing. They pull apart, look at each other, smile, and then begin to laugh.

* * *

 **I know that I took forever in updating, but I was having trouble with capturing all the emotions that Courtney and Louisa would be feeling and this is the longest chapter that I've written so far. I'm not sure if I captured their feelings properly, but I hope that I did and that you like this fantastic reviews were wonderful, they were what inspired me to continue witting this chapter. Make sure to keep telling me how you think I'm doing.**

 **In case you are wondering, a lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a court royal or feudal, attending on a queen (either if she is the queen regent or the queen consort), a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman.** **Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family in 'good society,' but who was of lower rank than the woman on whom she attended. Although she may or may not have received compensation for the service she rendered, a lady-in-waiting was considered more of** **a companion** **to her misstress than a servant .**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet**


	5. I can warm up

"This has got to be some plot from a drama reality show. I mean how could we not know that there were two of us?" Louisa exclaims turning serious again.

"Going back to the reality show part, my best guess is that it has something to do with our parents not telling us." Courtney reasons.

"How could she not tell me that I have a twin? I thought we told each other everything!" Louisa exclaims.

"Well maybe something happened and they had to split us apart for a good reason?" Courtney suggests but her suggestion sounds more like a question, which didn't make the situation any easier to understand.

"That's it. I'm calling my mom," Louisa stands up as she went over to the phone…

"And what are you going to tell her?" Courtney questions, "Um, hi mom, you know how you never told me that I had a twin sister and everything, well turns out that I do have one and she also happens to be one of my roommates at Princess Charm School. Thanks for being so understanding and lying to me for nine years of my life."

Louisa glares at her sister, hating that what she said makes sense. "We have to tell them that we know about each other sooner or later. I mean we can't hide it for too long knowing that we have proof," she explains.

"I know, I know," Courtney says as she sits down on her bed and put on a thinking face, "Um, how about we don't tell them for a while so we can get some time to sort things out."

"But what do we have to sort out?" Louisa asks.

"I honestly don't know. But we could tell each other what our parents are like. To tell the truth, I'd love to know as much as possible about my mom," Courtney says with a shrug.

"Can we go somewhere to eat and then I'll tell you about mom and you tell me about dad?" Louisa asks.

* * *

Since it is the week of balloon festivals, downtown Vienna was transformed and decorated with miniature ballons. The entire city is crowded with families that want to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

At that moment Courtney and Louisa weaves their way through the crowd and arrived at the café, which has more guests than usual, but it wasn't too loud for the girls to talk.

"What does mom do?" Courtney asks Louisa.

"Well, mom's the captain of the royal guards from I don't remember where because she keeps switching. She's usually away all the time but she always comes back for Christmas, my birthday and sometimes Valentines Day. That's why my grandma, I mean our grandma lives with us. Well actually, we used to live with her on the farm in Gascony until someone set it on fire. I was 5 at the time. We moved into a big mansion after that and we still have it now. If she weren't here then, I'd be staying home alone," Louisa replies.

"What does mom look like?" Courtney asks.

"Grandma and our neighbors say that mom and I look exactly alike with our blond hair and blue eyes. But I still think that mom is prettier than I am. But enough about mom, tell me what dad's like," Louisa says decidedly.

"Dad and I look nothing alike; he has brown hair and brown eyes. He's the most powerful person in France since he's the king. He's always super busy thanks to his schedule, but he always manages to find time for us to hang out toge-" Courtney starts.

"Wait. Dad's a king?!" Louisa interrupts.

"Um. Yeah, how else do you think I'm a princess?" Courtney answers.

"You know what that means right?" Louisa asks. It only took a moment before it dawns on Courtney.

"You're royalty too," Hearing Courtney say the words out loud made the realization of Louisa's newly discovered social standing even more incredulous than putting the pieces together in her own mind.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! I cannot be a princess, that's impossible. I'm barely passing for a lady royal and now you want me to be a princess. I'm only a country girl, not a princess!"

"Really?" Courtney asks incredulously, "That's what you're worried about right now?"

"Well when you drop a bomb saying that I have a twin, it's big enough to go through anyone for a loop, but when you tell me that I'm also a princess; let me tell you now that any normal person would be in hysterics right now!" Louisa exclaims.

"Okay, we need to calm down and think the whole thing through," Courtney says with a deep breath and walks over to Louisa to shake her from her rattled state, "Come on, we're going back."

"Going back where?" Louisa asks.

"To school. I'm pretty sure some oxygen will help you calm down and then we go back to our dorm to think," Courtney says.

* * *

What do you think happened to our parents before you know, everything," Louisa asks after having calmed herself down.

"Our parents must've meet, fallen in love and gotten married. Then they had the two of us, naming you Louisa after dad and me Courtney after mom. That's pretty isn't it? They must've been fond of each other in those days. Then maybe, they had a fight and got divorced," Courtney announces.

"I don't know what our parents fought about but it must've been pretty dreadful for them to bisect us like this," Louisa says thoughtfully.

"I can't imagine anyone not getting along with Dad. Everyone loves him, including all servants in our castle and the citizens of France," Courtney states.

"I know same with Mom," Louisa agrees, "But they really should've asked us how we felt before separating us."

"But we were just babies and didn't know how to speak yet," Courtney counters with a sigh.

"Has dad ever been close to remarrying? Cause if not, then neither of them has gotten remarried," Louisa muses.

"Never. He always says I'm the only girl in his life. But I do know that the Grand Visor does want papa to remarry," Courtney replies.

"Mom's never come close either." Louisa says with a smile.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Courtney asks.

"Not exactly. You're obviously the older one. You get everything before me. What does it mean?"

Courtney leans in before whispering, "Secretly, in their innermost heart of hearts, they must still be in love with each other."

"You think so? Then why haven't they tried to see each other all these years?" was Louisa's counter.

"That's the way true love works. History's filled with stories of lovers parted by some silly misunderstanding. Anyway, dad can be unbelievably stubborn when she wants to be," Courtney replies.

"He can't be worse than mom," Louisa says with a sigh.

"Hey," Courtney nudges Louisa who is staring into space."You want to know something?"

"Not particularly, I'm kind of busy thinking, but I have a feeling that won't stop you from telling me," Louisa replies.

Courtney sticks out her tongue childishly, before smiling at her, "I've always wanted a sister."

Her confession causes Louisa to stop daydreaming and turn her attention to the girl beside her. Louisa didn't like getting too close to people, but knowing what she did about Courtney and how they were connected gave the two some kind of immediate closeness that was a little foreign to Louisa, but it was a nice feeling.

"Really?" Louisa smirks "I never did. Except when I had too many chores when we lived on the farm," A slight feeling of disappointment is seen on Courtney's face and she was about to turn away when Louisa speaks up again."But, I think I'm starting to warm up to the idea of a sister," Louisa smiles at her sister and gave a slight nudge that Courtney happily returns.

"Sisters, Louisa and I," Courtney thought, "Not the most likely pair, but I think I can warm up to it too, sis."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading this chapter and for all your reviews in the last chapter.**

 **Don't forget to tell me your thoughts about this chapter.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	6. A Brilliant Idea

**I'm so sorry that I took so long to update. I was completely stuck on this chapter, but I was determined to have it updated on Winterwonders725's birthday. If her birthday wasn't today, I don't think I would have this chapter done yet.** **I'd like to thank her for helping me with my stories and all the encouragement that she's given me when I first had the crazy idea to try writing fanfiction. Oh, and Happy Birthday.**

* * *

"Courtney, I was wondering when you think we should tell our parents that we found out about each other," Louisa asked.

Courtney sighed "I really don't know. I mean they went through all the trouble of separating us and never saying that there were two of us I have a feeling that telling them that we know will stir up a bunch of drama."

"That's true," Louisa contemplated. "But sooner or later we would have to say something."

"Yeah, I know. But I think we should keep quiet about it for a little while longer until ….. Well until we figure out why all this happened." Courtney responded.

" I would love to know why they went through all the trouble of separating us and all that. But I'd also like to know why they separated themselves." Louisa voiced.

"Yeah," Courtney responded.

Louisa looked over to the clock and noticed that it was already 10:00 pm. "I'm going to take a shower now, ok?"

"Sure," Courtney nodded.

* * *

After a couple of minutes Courtney heard the water stop running, signaling the end of Louisa's shower. Courtney had been waiting for Louisa to come out so she could brush her sticky teeth due to the treats they had in town. Just when she was about to get off the bed to head to the bathroom Louisa came bursting through the bedroom door scantily clad in just her towel.

"I've got it!" Louisa exclaims loudly.

"If you mean that you 'got' no decency then I agree," Courtney commented looking at her sister up and down in her near lack of clothing.

Louisa folded her arms, "No Madame Prude, that's not what I'm talking about."

"Firstly I'm not prude. I just prefer not to go running around in only a towel. I mean at least put on a robe or something. And secondly, what is it that you have suddenly 'got'?" Courtney questioned.

"You know how you said that you'd love to know why mom and dad split up?" Louisa asked. Courtney nodded in affirmation. "And you know how I said earlier that I'd love to meet dad?" Courtney nodded again, this time a bit quicker as if to show that she wanted Louisa to hurry up since she didn't know where she was going with these questions. "Well I was thinking, and please don't freak out on me ok? I was thinking that we should switch places!"

"Did you over heat yourself in the shower? What kind of a plan is that supposed to be? Did you even think it over at all?" Courtney exploded, firing questions at Louisa, not even giving her a chance to answer any of them.

"Of course I thought it over and I know that we can pull it off," Louisa said confidently. "I mean it's not like they'll know the difference. We are twins after all."

"Louisa, we'll never be able to pull it off. We're twins from different countries, with different accents, different vocabularies... different everything. We're totally and completely, one hundred percent different.

"So? What's the problem? I'll teach you to be me and you teach me to be you." Louisa gets on her knees and begs. "C'mon, I gotta meet my dad."

"If we switch, sooner or later they'll have to un-switch us." Courtney mused.

"And when they do, they'll have-to meet again." Louisa exclaimed.

"Face-to-face. After all these years. It must've been fate that brought us together." Courtney says dreamily. Her head suddenly jerks up as she realizes something that could make the plan go very badly. "Wait, but do you know how much trouble we can get into for doing this?" Courtney runs her hands through her hair, feeling tempted to pull on her blond locks. "I mean this would be impersonation of a princess; you have to be kidding me.

"Technically I'm not impersonating a princess, because according to birth I am a princess." Louisa states.

"Still this would be a huge task for the two of us to do alone," Courtney said, trying to find a fault in her sister's plan.

"Well if you're worried, I can ask Aria, Rose and Trista to help me teach you and I can learn the princess things in school by pretending to be you or something like that." Louisa suggested.

Courtney was about to open her mouth to object once again to her sister's idea when the thought came to her. If Aria, Rose and Trista knew about the switcheroo plan that Louisa had concocted, they would be able to keep a close eye on us to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Louisa continued to look at Courtney with expectant eyes, "So how about it?"

Courtney sighed in defeat, "If we were to go through with this then…" Courtney didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because Louisa started to squeal with delight, which took Courtney by surprise because she didn't seem like the squealing type of girl.

"I knew you'd agree to it!" Louisa exclaimed with joy and triumph.

"Hey, I said 'if' didn't I?" Courtney countered.

"Well in my book, if means yes so I'll take it!" Louisa announced.

Courtney rolled her eyes with an amused smile on her face. She had seen Louisa's fun side in town, but the way she was acting now was silly and Courtney enjoyed that Louisa could be this way with her when they had meet a week ago and found out that they were twins on that very same day.

"Okay, okay calm down already," Courtney ordered her sister. "Like I was saying before we would both need to go through major training since you have no experience since you never entered royal life until a week ago. And I need to become a country girl and learn how to manage all your chores."

"Promise you'll put in a lot of effort." Louisa demanded.

"Of course. If you start something, you might as well give it all you've got."

* * *

A week later, when the other girls came back to Princess Charm School, Louisa and Courtney decided to tell them of the events that happened last week and the plan Louisa had thought up to get their parents back together. When the twins had finished talking, six eyes were wide open and three mouths were hanging so low that a dozen flies could've been caught.

"So what do you think?" Louisa asked her friends almost nervously, sort of hoping that they wouldn't talk her out of her plan.

"I think you're insane," Rose spoke up immediately, causing Louisa to pout, but then continued by saying "But as far as insane plans go, this one seems like lots of fun.

"Louisa, do you have any idea what could happen if someone were to find out?" Aria asked. "I mean you just found out that you're twins and now you want to switch places. That could create a huge political scandal.

"That's why we wanted to tell you first," Courtney explained. "There's no way the two of us can do it ourselves. That's why we need your help."

"We're not saying that you have to help, but it would mean a lot to us if you did," Louisa said backing up her sister.

'We'll I'm definitely in," Rose announced. "What kind of a best friend would I be if I didn't support your crazy and impulsive idea of switching places with your twin that you hardly know about? Plus it sounds like something in a novel. So romantic."

Ignoring the fact that Rose called the idea crazy, Louisa went over to her best friend and gave her a big squeeze. "Thank you, thank you, thank you Rose.

"Well what about the rest of you?" Courtney questioned Aria and Trista who looked like they were having a discussion with each other in their minds.

"You know I'm starting to like this, besides I've been hoping that something like this would happen," Trista exclaimed, leaving everyone in confusion.

"What do you mean you've been waiting for something like this to happen?" Courtney asked.

"Ever since I realized that you were twins, I thought something like this would happen. I was practically giddy with anticipation."

"Wait a minute, you knew about this and never bothered to tell us Tris?" Aria demanded.

"Of course I knew, it's a sixth sense or at least something like that," Trista stated as if it were obvious. "And not to mention that their necklaces gave it away."

"You noticed our necklaces before we did?" Louisa asked and received a nod from her fashion obsessed friend.

"Well I do know a good piece of jewelry when I see one and I've loved Louisa's necklace since I knew what an accessory was. I knew that Louisa's mom had the necklace handmade and that it was one of a kind, I knew that it was no coincidence that Courtney had one too." Trista says matter of factly.

"How could you not tell us," Courtney practically exploded.

"Would you actually believe me if I told you what I knew. I mean the two of you weren't even on speaking terms with each other and wouldn't even acknowledge that you were identical. Telling the two of you that you were twins a week ago would've been like setting a bomb here at Princess Charm School, a total mess."

"I guess you're right." Louisa mumbled.

"Of course I'm right," Trista said flashing her friends a smile.

"Well that just leaves one left," Courtney said turning her head to Aria.

Aria sighed deeply."You do know how severe the consequences could be if we actually do this, Courtney? And what if it just causes your parents to hate each other more than ever? Plus, are you a hundred percent sure that you're twins when you've never heard or even seen each other before meeting at princess charm school?"

"Yes, I do and I'm not asking you to do all this if it weren't so important to me. But I don't want to pressure you either. You're my friend and I'd never use you." Courtney smiled softly, but you could see the determination in her eyes were evident.

Aria looked down to her lap at her folded hands to distract her from Courtney's determined eyes. She could still sense that determination without looking at her though. Looking back up and around the room, Aria could see the pleading looks in everyone's eyes. Aria got up from where she was sitting and went over to Louisa to give her a hug and then looked at Courtney with a smile and said, "What should we do first to turn you into Louisa?"

* * *

What the girls didn't know was that Headmistress Privet was secretly listening to their conversation. She had also wanted to talk to Louisa and Courtney, but found them openly telling Rose, Aria and Trista about their doubleness, so she decided to just listen to what they were going to say. If she still had some unanswered questions, she would call them to her office. But after hearing what the girls had said and how they were certain that they were twins, her suspiciousness had been confirmed. They weren't look-a-likes, they were twins. Identical twins. But the only question that she had left was why they had been separated and uninformed about each other.

* * *

 **Do tell me what you think of this chapter. I'd love to hear it, like how I loved your reviews from the previous chapter.**

 **I'd also like to thank Turquisea and PrincessGeekelle** **for reviewing Don't Let Go**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	7. Learning to be You

**I had a request for longer chapters, so I tried to make this chapter longer, but longer chapters take more time to write. The length of the chapters will probably depend on how much I can write and if you want the chapters to be long or short.  
**

* * *

The girls decided that lessons would have to be taught to both of them. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Louisa would have her princess lessons and every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday would be put aside to teaching Courtney how to be a 'regular girl'. Since the plan was decided on Thursday, it would be Louisa's turn to learn on Friday.

* * *

Courtney holds a large pad on which she has drawn the layout of the castle.

"Wait, before we start the lesson, can you please explain to me why I have to sit with a tower of books on my head as I listen to you drone on for hours. I already have to do this for class, and now you want me to do it here?" Louisa complains.

"Well, you do need to know how to walk, stand and sit straight with perfect posture. Just because we learn it in school doesn't mean that your posture is perfect. There is a lot you can work on. Plus, it'll make school a lot easier too," Courtney points out.

"Then why do I feel like I'm a bookshelf with a towering stack of 15 books on my head?" Louisa questions.

"Well ... it does show that your posture is well and stuff like that. Headmistress Privet would have a better answer for you though," Courtney responds.

"Really?" Aria questions as she watches Louisa attempt to keep the books balanced."I think it's more of a source of entertainment, rather than a thing to indicate good posture," she smiled at the new thought. "Just watching you Louisa makes me feel like I'm at the circus watching a clown."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Louisa says dryly as she leans forward and the books tumble to the floor with a loud thump.

"Yes. It's defiantly a source of entertainment," Aria says, stifling a giggle.

"Well do you know…" Louisa starts before she was interrupted by Courtney.

"Can the two of you stop arguing about this so I can finish my lesson on the floor plan of the castle? It would be nice to have it finished by today," Courtney says exasperatedly.

"Okay. I'm listening," Louisa says with a sigh.

"Okay, the movie theater is over here. Sometimes we get to watch movies in there before they come out in theaters. There are secret passage ways all over the castle, but I haven't discovered them all yet. Its lots of fun to hide in them for several hours. The servants go into a tizzy trying to find you! It's so much fun to watch. Sitting room's here... Dad's office is the first door down the hall. You never have to knock, if you do, he'll think it's weird... Down here is..." Courtney continues to explain to Louisa.

* * *

Louisa and Courtney sit on Louisa's bed looking through a stack of photos, as the sun sinks behind them.

"I know that you've grown up with servants all around you, but at home we only have a chauffeur and several housemaids. This is our chauffeur, Hank," Louisa starts showing her sister a picture.

"Is he really old enough to drive? He looks like he could be our older brother," Courtney asks.

"Of course he is. He's an excellent driver! Apart from mom and now you, Grandma is my favorite person," Louisa states as she shows Courtney another picture.

"She looks ancient. What do we call her?" Courtney asks.

"Grandma," Louisa replies with a look that said isn't that obvious?

"That makes sense," Courtney states.

"Grandma is always telling me to bring my keys when i go out because I always forget them at home. So, she slipped a spare key inside the bird house by the door. You only have to lift up the bird, take the roof off and the key would be in the house. But, if you stick with mom or grandma, that won't happen. Now, back to actually talking about grandma."

"So if for some odd reason I'm out of the house alone and don't have the house key, I just look there?"

"Yup. Now, this is Grandma's bakery. She opened the bakery three years ago, and makes the best deserts," Louisa explains as she shows a picture of a big bakery.

"She owns a bakery? Does she make cupcakes?" Courtney exclaims.

"Only the best cupcakes in the world! Sometimes she lets me help her with the baking," Louisa says with a sigh.

"Um, Louisa? There's a small problem. I've never even gone into a kitchen in my life. Let alone tried to cook anything," Courtney says with a panic.

"Then I'll have to teach you. It's really easy if you follow the recipe correctly. If you don't, then it'll just be a total mess," Louisa explains as she looks for ingredients to make a batch of vanilla cupcakes.

* * *

An hour later, a very frustrated Courtney could be seen throwing out a batch of inedible cupcakes.

"Well, I guess turning you into me is going to be pretty hard, considering the fact that these cupcakes are inedible, badly burnt and can't even be feed to pigs," Louisa says with a sigh.

"Well, I did try my best here," Courtney exclaims. "But what if I never learn how to bake?! What am I going to say?"

"I guess you can always tell mom and grandma that you've unlearned baking. If that's even possible…"

* * *

"Come on, Courtney. I'm sure you can do better than this," Louisa points out as she stands in front of her sister.

"Easy for you to say," Courtney breathes out jaggedly, "You're used to training like this and I'm not."

"And if you don't quit whining like this and never practice, guess what? You'll never be," Louisa exclaims.

When Louisa had suggested that she should work on her skills, Courtney knew Louisa was planning on working on her fighting skills. Her father had taught her a little bit of fighting for self defense, but he would never get too far into fighting because the royal council would go crazy if they knew the princess could fight. Because of this, Louisa decides that she would give her sister the lesson of a lifetime. The lesson contains obstacle courses, fighting and core training. Louisa is putting Courtney's determination on the line with each new test she gave.

"Wow, Louisa's being very tough on Courtney with these practices," Aria points out as she sits with Rose and Trista to watch the lesson.

"But you do remember our training sessions with our moms right? They never go easy no matter how much you plead," Rose states as she watches the two sisters with interest.

"True, but don't you think this might be a little overboard with this being Courtney's third training session?" Trista questions lightly.

"Do you want to be the one to ask her that?" Rose inquires without removing her eyes from the sisters.

Trista looks back to see Courtney lying on the floor in an odd position as Louisa explains what that 'stretch' was supposed to do. "Um, I think I'll just hold that question for another day. I don't want my dress getting ruined."

"Smart move there Triss," Aria says.

Back in the center of the room, Courtney is going towards her sword to get it after her sister had flung it to the other side of the room. "Could you maybe go a little easier on me? I don't want to have to go home with a limb or several limbs chopped off from your deadly practices."

"I would if I could, but I can't. If you want to pass as me when you're with mom, you're going to have a dual with her eventually. And trust me, when the time comes, this will seem like a stroll in the park," Louisa utters with her hands on her hips, "Besides, I don't want you revealing our plan just because you can't take a hit."

"It's not that I can't take a hit," Courtney says defensively, "I just haven't had as much training as you've had. That's all. If I had been with mom my whole life, I bet you that I could've passed as an even better you."

"Well, we're going to have to work on that a lot more, won't we?" Louisa questions with a smirk. "But I don't think you'll ever be able to pass for an even better me. You don't have all it takes to become exactly like Louisa D'Artagnan. The most you can hope for is to become _almost_ like her."

* * *

"Have you ever played the piano before? Dad's been trying to teach me for five years, but I can never do it. I hate the piano!" Courtney exclaims furiously.

"I've never tried it before. I was always too busy learning how to fight and bake to have time to play the piano. But I've always wanted to try," Louisa says with a smile.

"Well, you can have a shot with playing the piano. Just remember when dad's trying to teach you how to play the piano, don't be too enthusiastic about it. He'll figure out that it's not me," Courtney warns.

"So, I just press the keys and music comes out?" Louisa asks nervously.

"Yes. But don't pound on the keys though," Courtney warns a minute too late before Louisa was pressing very hard on the keys.

"Oh. Was I playing too loud?" Louisa questions when she sees her sister's hands on her head.

"Yes, you were. We could hear the noise from the outside the palace. We rushed to see what was wrong!" Trista exclaims throwing up her arms in despair as she enters the room with Aria and Rose.

"And then what we thought might've been danger was just Louisa attempting to play a piano?" Rose said with mocking shock.

"Here, let me do the teaching," Aria says, sitting down, "I might not be able to help Louisa with the princess stuff, but I can teach her how to play the piano. Or any instrument for that matter."

"Thanks. I'm glad that you're teaching her because I don't play the piano very well either," Courtney exclaims with a sigh.

* * *

The entire class is assembled for an assembly in the garden. Louisa and Courtney sit in the middle of the crowd, whispering.

"But I never chew on my hair! It's disgraceful you know," Courtney whispers furiously in Louisa's ear.

"But I always do when I'm nervous or scared. Mom and grandma will know," Louisa retorts.

"I can't," Courtney says as she twirls her hair.

"Want me to show you how to?" Louisa asks sarcastically.

Courtney rolls her eyes and starts nibbling away.

* * *

"Louisa! You're doing it wrong again!" Courtney hisses over the table at dinner.

"Doing what wrong?" Louisa questions.

"You're using the wrong spoon to drink your soup. Again. It's the sixth time this week. I didn't say anything earlier, because I was hoping that you would realize. But I figured if I didn't tell you, you would still be doing this when we switch places!" Courtney exclaims exasperatedly.

"Opps. So would you please enlighten me and show me which spoon is the correct one again?" Louisa states sarcastically.

"It's the one to the left of your right hand."

"So this one?"

"No, the one besides it."

* * *

"Courtney, you do know how to pin your hair up the correct way right?" Louisa asks as she sits in front of their shared vanity. "Mother had a dreadful time teaching me how to do it up in this bun, but I learned after practicing a bit. She always says that when I fight against someone, my hair should be up because I'm too reckless and that it'll get ruined or cut off."

"Well Louisa, for my whole life Shannon has been doing my hair for me. She's taught me more than a dozen hairstyles, but I'm not sure how you do your bun. I don't get how you manage to get the braid around the side of the bun without pins," Courtney concludes.

"It's easy. You just need to make the braid as you make the bun. Let me show you." Louisa says before demonstrating on the spot.

After several minutes of quietly observing, Courtney concludes that she doesn't get how her sister does it. "Louisa. I think you'll have to show me at least fifteen times how to do your bun. I still don't understand how you got it to look like that. But do you really think that I'll look as pretty with my hair up like that?"

"Of course you will look just as pretty. The two of you are twins!" Trista exclaims after sitting silently in the corner observing their lesson for a good half hour. "Let me show you how to do it. My mom says that she was the one who taught your mom how to do it up like that when they were girls. Louisa's teaching you how to do it wrong. Like when she tried to teach the girls in school how to do it three years ago. They ended up with knotted hair at the end of Louisa's lesson. Louisa, you have to make the braid as you go around making the bun. The version you're teaching works, but it's harder to learn. I'm going to teach Courtney the easiest way to do the bun."

* * *

Louisa and Courtney are standing in front of a mirror looking at their reflections.

"This is scary, we look so identical," Louisa exclaims.

"Wait a second, we don't look completely identical. You have pierced ears!" Courtney yells.

"Yeah... ?" Louisa says and then starts to panic. "Oh, no. Forget it! Uh-uh, not happening. Sorry. Wrong number."

"There's no way I could come to school with pierced ears and come home without them. I mean, come on. Get real," Courtney says exasperatedly.

"This isn't fair!" Louisa yells.

"Hey, can I help it if I'm a complicated woman with a look entirely of my own? Or at least a look that my hair and makeup artist have decided for me?" Courtney asks.

A match is lit and Courtney holds a sewing needle over the flame. "Okay, the needle is sterilized," Courtney calmly states. She then professionally carries the needle to Louisa, who lies on her bed, petrified, holding an ice cube to her ear.

"Y-Y-You sure you know what you're doing?" Louisa stammers.

"I've seen people get their ears pierced at the salon. Just close your eyes, it'll all be over before you know it. Earring ready?" Courtney asks calmly.

Louisa holds up the earring as her reply.

"Okay, just relax. On the count of three, remove the ice. One, two, three!" Courtney says.

Louisa shuts her eyes tightly, pulls the ice away as Courtney sticks the needle through Louisa's ear lobe. Both girls scream at the top of their lungs, shattering several windows.

Courtney then passes out and falls to the floor. Louisa is wearing one earring when she gently slaps Courtney's face trying to revive her.

"Courtney, are you okay? Wake up! Courtney!" Louisa screams.

Courtney opens her eyes and asks, "Are you bleeding to death?"

"I'm fine. It didn't hurt at all. But I refuse to go through life with only one pierced ear," Louisa holds up the needle, "Back to work, darling."

Courtney takes one look at the needle and passes out again.

"Courtney, are you okay?" Louisa asks after she dumps a pitcher of water on her sister.

Courtney immediately wakes up from the contact with water, her face now drenched. She sat up and growls, ready to pounce at Louisa who was now laughing uncontrollably. "Don't you ever do that AGAIN!" Courtney hisses.

Louisa grins and slowly nods before saying, "Since it seems like you won't be able to pierce my second ear, maybe we should go to the spa to see if they can pierce it there."

"Why didn't I think of this sooner?" Courtney complains as she and her sister exit the room.

"Because you aren't smart enough," Louisa teases playfully.

* * *

 **So, I hope you guys liked this chapter, because I had lots of fun trying to think of lessons for Louisa and Courtney.  
Feedback is always welcomed and greatly appreciated.**

 ** ** **Cheerio** ,****

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	8. Until we meet again

By mid November, Louisa and Courtney could do a pretty good imitation of each other. They decided that they would switch places over their two month long break. Louisa would find out how their parents had meet, while Courtney would try to find out why they broke up.

* * *

Teary-eyed girls are hugging good-bye, as they load into the carriages that would take them home for the Christmas break.

Aria, Rose and Trista hug Louisa good-bye and head to the carriage to wait for Courtney. Louisa is now dressed in Courtney's pink gown and Courtney is dressed in Louisa's pink suit.

"Okay, so remember, you're going to find out how Mom and Dad met..." Courtney starts.

"- and you're gonna find out why they broke up..." Louisa finishes for her.

"Louisa D'Artagnan! Rose, Trista and Aria are waiting for you. Hurry up, the carriage is waiting, the horses are getting impatient and I'm sure that you'd like to sleep in our own beds tonight!" Headmistress Privet exclaims.

"That's you. Also, remember, you've got to figure out a way to bring Mom out to Paris to see Dad again. Vienna is no place to rekindle a romance," Louisa reminds her sister.

"Last call, Louisa D'Artagnan!" Headmistress Privet says.

Hearts thumping loudly, the girls hug each other, not wanting to let go of each other as if a hug could pass on courage. "Don't forget to give Dad a kiss for me," Courtney tells her sister.

"And give Mom one for me as well," Louisa exclaims, as if it were an afterthought.

Courtney nods and takes off. Louisa watches her, as she bites her locket. "OhmyGod! Courtney! I mean, Louisa!" Louisa yells. Courtney turns around and heads over to her sister to see what was wrong. "The lockets! We need to switch them! "Louisa says anxiously.

Courtney rolls her eyes, runs back and the girls quickly switch lockets, kiss good-bye and Courtney takes off again.

Louisa watches as Courtney joins their friends, climbs into the back seat and gives Courtney a reassuring smile as the carriage speeds off.

"This isn't goodbye, you know. It's just until we meet again for the two of us." Louisa whispers as she watches the carriage with her sister and her friends disappear into the horizon. Right after this, a white carriage pulls up into the school grounds. "Courtney Rousseau!" Headmistress Privet yells. Louisa walks up to the carriage driver, gives him her luggage and slides into the already opened door to greet Treville. As she waits for the driver to finish putting away her luggage, she crosses her fingers and whispers, "Good luck."

* * *

When every girl had gotten into their carriage to go home, Headmistress Privet went to her office to collect her thoughts.

She wonders what would happen to Louisa and Courtney. She suspects that the two of them had decided to switch over the break in hopes of getting to know the parent that they never had. But finding the answers to their questions would be a hard task. She had known Corrine and Louis when she was younger and remembers how stubborn both of them could be. She remembers going to school with Corrine in Gascony as a child and how they both had lots of fun pretending to be musketeers. When she turned ten, her family had moved to Paris and she lost contact with Corrine. When she was seventeen, she was invited to the prince's ball and she was reunited with Corrine. When Corrine married Louis, she was one of Corrine's maids of honor.

She had helped watch over the twins when the two of them were away attending royal affairs, which was pretty often. She remembered Corrine and Louis being very happy, so she often wondered why Corrine had left with Louisa. After Corrine had left and Louis no longer needed her to watch over Courtney, she had decided to move to Vienna where she was offered a teaching position at Princess Charm School. At her arrival at Princess Charm School, she broke all connections with her friends and family and focused on becoming a good teacher with hopes of one day becoming the headmistress. When the previous headmistress resigned from her post, she had been offered the job as headmistress which she gladly accepted.

With a sigh, she glanced out the window and notices that it's dark outside. She was sure that all the carriages had already left the school grounds, meaning that she was in the school all alone. She then turns to the growing pile of papers on her desk and starts working on them. After all, two months without squealing girls would be plenty of time to finish her monstrous stack of paper.

* * *

 **Okay, I know that most of you wanted long chapters, but it's rather hard to stretch the goodbye scene and make it a long one. I figured that if it had to be a short chapter, I might as well have it out as early as possible. So here it is, and I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **But I triple promise you that the next chapter will be a long chapter.**

 **Feedback** **and comments are always welcomed and read with great joy.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,  
**

 **Lasting Violet**


	9. First Meetings

**So as promised you have a very long chapter that took a very long time to write and an even longer time to edit and tweak. This is probably the longest chapter that I've written for this story, so I hope you guys are happy with it.**

 **I was planning on updating this on Monday, but the internet on our computer stopped working, so I'm typing this at the library. I hope you enjoy it and I'll stop talking so you can read this chapter.  
**

* * *

Louisa sat in silence in the carriage with Treville until they reach the border of France when she started to ask, "Are we there yet?"

Treville looks at her oddly and then says, "I was wondering why you didn't ask me that twelve hours ago. You usually start asking that after you spend 3 minutes in the carriage."

"Well they did teach us about patience at Princess Charm School and I might have fallen asleep in the carriage as well," Louisa replies with a smile.

"If this makes you happy, we are going to stop at the cottage to pick up your father and afterwards we'll head over to the castle."

* * *

"Courtney! Welcome back."

Nervous at first, she breaks into a grin at the sight of her father, waving and smiling at her. "Dad!" Louisa hops out of the carriage and runs to him and stops just as she reaches him, to look up. "Dad... Finally..."

"Where's my hug?"Louis says as he wraps his arms around Louisa and pulls her close.

Louisa smiles, Louis looks at her.

"What happened to you? Something's changed. Did you get taller?"

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't, but the important thing is that I'm home for two whole months." Louisa replied with a smile.

They walk off, arm-in-arm, back to the carriage where Treville had moved to the front seat with the driver to give the two some privacy.

"So, what's how are you, Dad? How is everybody?" Louisa asks curiously.

"Great. Everybody's great. They can't wait to see you. Three months have been too long. So much has been happening around here." Louis pauses "I don't know why, but I'm needed at the summer palace, so we'll make a quick stop there."

"A lot's happened to me, too. I feel like I'm practically a new princess!" Louisa exclaims. As they talk, Louisa keeps peeking at her father.

"What's the matter? Is my crown crooked?" Louis asks sounding fake concerned.

"No, it's just seeing you for the first time. I mean, you know... in so long," Louisa then giggles behind her hands.

"Hey, by the way, thanks for all those letters. I'm really glad I bought you all that personalized stationary you just had to have," Louis said halfheartedly.

"We meant to write, Dad, but we just got so busy with school and stuff..." Louisa trails off.

"We?" Louis questions.

"Oh. Me and my friend. I met this girl at school and we got really close. Practically like sisters. She was a wondrful girl, you know Dad."

"Why do you keep saying 'Dad', in almost every sentence?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was doing it, Dad," Louisa then pauses, realizing she's done it again. "Sorry, Dad."

They both laugh.

"Do you want to know why I keep saying Dad...? The truth?" Louisa asks.

"Because you missed your old man so much?" Louis says.

"Exactly! It's because in my whole life, I mean for these past months, I was never able to ever say the word 'Dad'. Never. Not once! And a Dad is an irreplaceable person in a girls' life. I mean think about it, there's a whole day, devoted to celebrating Fathers, right? Just imagine, someone's life without a Father. Never buying a Father's Day card, never getting their Father a' birthday present, never sitting on their Father's lap, never being able to say, 'Hi, Dad', , 'Bye, Dad, catch you later, Dad'. A baby's first words are always Dada, aren't they? Then there's 'Daddy', 'Daddio', 'My old man'... Not to mention, 'Wait 'til your father gets home young lady, and..." Louisa says before she gets interrupted.

"So, let me see if I get this straight... you missed being able to call me Dad," Louis says hiding a laugh.

"Yeah. I really have, Dad."

* * *

When they were nearly in Paris and the tops of the castle could already be seen, Louisa decides to ask several questions.

"Dad, why do we never talk about my mom? I mean, I know she passed away and stuff like that, but you must still have memories of her that you can share with me. The only thing I know about her is what she looks like. And I learned that from a picture. At least tell me how you meet each other. Please. A girl has to know something about how their parents meet."

"It's not that special. I met her in the palace when I was testing out an invention, she saved me and I had told her that girls couldn't become musketeers. She then saved my life again,became a musketeer and continued saving my life until we got married and her musketeer duties were replaced with other ones."

"But, was it love at first sight?"

"I knew you were going to ask me all these questions one day," Louis says with a groan.

"But, did you see each other every day?"

"You know, this part of you reminds me of your mom. You'd think she raised you instead of me," Louis said with a chuckle.

At that Louisa starts to look rather worried until Louis continues talking, not even noticing the worried look on her face.

"Yes, we saw each other every night, every morning and every hour in-between when she wasn't off on a mission," Louis says, looking into Louisa's eyes.

"That's beyond cool. So what happened? You didn't love each other when she stopped saving you?"

"I don't know, princess. These things are complicated. One day she received a letter, which probably had upsetting news because she ripped it up. She disappeared in the night. I sent search parties out for two years and one day, one of my men told me that they found her horse near a house that had been burned down. They said that her dead body was found in the lake besides the house. Of course, there was no way to know for sure if it was her, but a bracelet that I had given her for our second wedding anniversary was found on her wrist. She had died when you were 3 years old."

"So she just disappeared and left nothing for you?"

"She left you with me," Louis then smiles and pulls Louisa closer to him, causing Louisa to smile as well.

Louis smiles as the carriage turns and passes a sign that says 'Welcome to Paris'.

Louisa looks out the window and says with a gasp, "Oh my God."

"Now you sound like someone who hasn't seen the palace in their whole life," Louis says with a laugh.

A large gate comes into view. The driver blows thorough a trumpet as he drives down the long stone path. Prince, a golden mutt, races after the car, barking.

James, Louis's valet, arrives from the side of the castle. He opens the carriage door for Louisa.

"Well, look who finally decided to come home," James said with a smile and a hint of sarcasm.

"Well it's not my fault that I had to go to school," Louisa exclaims.

"Did your old man tell you we decided no more school for you?" James asked looking very serious.

"Nope, not a word about it," Louisa replied as she climbs out.

"It got too quiet around here, Courtney. We couldn't stand it. Nobody blasting music, nobody playing hide and seek in the halls or getting lost in the servant hallways, nobody getting stuck up on the roof..." James says with a smile.

Louisa laughs as the screen door swings open and Shannon walks towards Louisa, humming as if she's a one-woman welcome home band. Shannon is the most lovable woman on the planet, early twenties, warm eyes and a great sense of humor. She lifts Louisa right off her feet and spins her around.

"Hell-o, Gorgeous! You grew, you look fabulous, we missed 't let these men talk you out of going back to school. You're a growing girl. You need other girls nearby. Are you hungry? Cook just finished cranking the ice cream. Why are you so quiet? What's wrong?" Shannon asks.

"I'm just so happy to be home,"

Louis says as he exits the carriage,"Did I hear something about ice cream?"

"It's on the table… "Shannon looks Louisa over, hugs her again. "You've changed, Courtney ... I can't put my finger on it, but something about you has definitely changed."

Prince bounds down the steps of the porch.

"Really? I did?" Louisa says with a gasp. "Hi, Prince!"

Prince sniffs at Louisa's shoes, looks up at her, and then backs off suspiciously while barking at her.

"What's with you, silly! It's Courtney!"

Prince continues barking.

"I probably smell different from being at Princess Charm School, that's all." Louisa runs up the porch steps, followed by Shannon.

"What's wrong with you? It's like you didn't even recognize her," Shannon asks Prince.

* * *

"Okay, this is it. Oh, God, I hope she likes me. Please like me," Courtney says to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"Of course she'll like you. You are her daughter," Rose reassures her.

"Yeah, but what if she figures out that I'm not actually Louisa?" Courtney asks sounding worried.

"I don't think that it'll happen. Just remember that we'll be here to help you if you need us," Trista reminds Courtney.

"Plus it's too late to back out now. We're here. It looks like Hank came to pick you up. I wonder where your mom is," Aria muses.

"Over here Louisa!" Hank shouts.

"Hank? Is that really you?" Courtney asks as she gets off from the carriage, feeling kind of clueless about what she was saying until she remembered that Hank was their chauffeur.

"Let's get you home now. Your mom wanted to pick you up, but the mission in Russia isn't supposed to end for another week. I'm sure you're eager to rest. Your grandmother is eager to see you as well," Hank says leading Courtney towards the limousine where he gets into the front seat.

Courtney has the window rolled down, her head resting on her hands, as she soaks up the sights. "This is so amazing! What a city!"

"You were only at Princess Charm School for three months and suddenly you act like a tourist. What am I saying, Princess Charm School is in Vienna. The sights are still the same. You didn't even go to school in another city. What's gotten into you?" Hank exclaims with a laugh.

"That's what going away from home is for, silly. Makes you appreciate home and everything in it," Courtney says.

They soon arrive at an elegant town house on one of Vienna's loveliest streets. The Limousine pulls up and the Hank gets out, opening the back door for Courtney. She steps out and looks up at the house. "This is it, 18 Forget-Me-Not," Courtney says to herself.

Hank grabs the luggage as Courtney rushes up the steps. She places her hand on the big round knob, turns it and enters the house.

"Hello?" Courtney says in a whisper.

She peeks into the Drawing Room, doesn't see anyone, heads around the stairs, counting the doorways and stops at the kitchen where she sees someone standing by a counter, frosting cupcakes.

"Grandma, I'm home," Courtney says softly.

Louisa's Grandmother, Marie D'Artaganan, a tall and thin woman rushes towards Courtney with a smile.

"Is that my little girl? That tall gangly thing? Is that you really you, Louisa?"

"Yes, it's me," Courtney replies.

"Did you have a good time, sweet pea?" Marie asks.

"Uh-huh... Great..."

"What are you doing?" Marie asks stifling a giggle.

"Just smelling," Courtney replies.

"Smelling? What are you smelling?" Marie questions with a laugh.

"I'm making a memory. Years from now, when I'm all grown up, I'll remember my Grandma and how she always smelled of peppermint and cupcakes." She pulls her close; she rests her head on her shoulder.

"Sweetheart, I think you should go to bed now. Something with your mind isn't right if you want to smell me to make a memory," Marie exclaims.

"But what about mom? Do I really have to wait another week to see her?"

"She'll get home sooner if you go to bed earlier. She called half an hour ago and told me that she would be here in two days at the latest. Something about the mission ending early."

"Goodnight grandma. I love you," Louisa says as she walks up the grand staircase to go to her room to sleep.

* * *

When she woke up, Courtney looks around the room confusedly. She knew that she wasn't in her dorm at Princess Charm School, nor her own bedroom in the palace at home. So where was she? Her eyes land on Louisa's name painted on her wall. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to her. Switching places with Louisa last night, meeting grandma for the first time and falling asleep in her sister's bedroom.

Courtney slowly got out of bed, went down the stairs and walked into the kitchen to see her grandmother preparing breakfast.

"Good morning Louisa. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Good morning grandma. I sleep wonderfully last night. What's for breakfast?" Courtney asks.

"We have pancakes and eggs. As soon as you finish eating, get changed. We're going to the market. We're out of fruits, baking powder and who knows what."

"Grandma, will you let me do some of the shopping by myself?" Courtney asks, hardly being able to contain her excitement. She had never gone out of the palace unaccompanied by guards.

"Of course. We always do shopping like this," Marie replies.

* * *

"Grandma, I think that was the best shopping trip ever!" Courtney exclaims.

"Really? Because you always seem to dread having to go shopping," Marie says as she looks strangely at her granddaughter.

Courtney opens the door and walks into house. She stops abruptly in the doorway before slowly walking over to the grand staircase as if she were stuck in a trance before she lays eyes on her mother for the first time in her life.

"Louisa? Is that you?" Corinne asks.

"Mom?"

"Honey, welcome home!"

Corrine rushes down the stairs as Courtney flies up toward her. Courtney falls into her mother's arms, tears flooding her eyes.

"I thought you were coming back tomorrow. I can't believe you're here today!" Courtney says stifling a laugh.

"I can't believe it's you. I wanted to surprise my baby girl. Oh, my! You got your ears pierced?!"

Courtney nods.

"Looks very chic and sophisticated if you ask me, although nobody ever wants my opinions," Marie says from the doorway.

"Well, what's done is done. You can't change it now," Corrine says as she looks Courtney up and down.

Courtney laughs, shakes her head, and looks up at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"What is it, sweetie?" Corrine asks sounding concerned when she sees the tears in Louisa's eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I can't help it. I missed you so much. If only you knew how much."

"Knew what? Oh, never mind, but it really seems like it's been forever since I've seen you," Corrine says as she hugs Courtney tightly.

"You have no idea." Courtney says with a faint smile.

* * *

Courtney enters her mother's room for the very first time. A gasp can be heard when Courtney takes in the room... it's beautiful, feminine and gracious. Tea has been laid on a corner table. Corrine leads Courtney to a small love seat. "So tell me all about what happened at Princess Charm School. Were there any battles to fight?" Corrine pauses for a breath before continuing, "Why are you staring at me as if you've never seen me before?"

"No there were no battles or fights. And to answer your second question, I guess I missed seeing you. I love your room, it's beautiful!"

"Nothing's new... it's just as it's always been. So... c'mon, tell me... Did you like everyone? Was it fun?"

"Yeah, it was great and I liked this one girl a real lot, I mean... in particular. She's from Paris, actually," Courtney pauses for a moment before continuing, "Have you ever been to Paris?"

"Yes... I lived there for several years. But that was a long time ago, before you were born," Corrine says as she pours tea.

"Oh my goodness ... I didn't realize you were so beautiful," Courtney says after staring at her mother for a long time.

Just then, Marie knocks on the open door and holds up Courtney's china tea set.

"I found a tea set in your suitcase. It looks like it's real china."

"How did it get in here?" Courtney exclaims. At that Corrine turns to her daughter in shock. "It belongs to a girl in my room... It belonged to her great-great-great-great grandmother. I don't know how on earth it ended up in my suitcase. Maybe because we had the same type of suitcases and she accidentally put it in mine?"

"What are we going to do since it isn't ours? It's too pretty to throw away, and it probably costs a ton. And I thought you were rooming with Trista, Aria and Rose." Marie asks.

"I'll mail her to her. She loves this thing a lot. A lot. A lot. No, no, can you just put it in my room? Thank you, grandma," Courtney says as she retrieves the set.

"Wait, can I see it? It looks like something that I've seen before," Corrine starts as Marie exits the room with the tea set and walks into the hallway.

Just then, the phone rings. Corrine walks over to answers it.

"Hello? Hi... Really? Can't you manage without me? I just arrived at home to spend time with Louisa who got home from Princess Charm School last night... Well, what's the problem?"

As Corrine talks on the phone, Courtney crosses to the dresser and runs her hand across her Mother's brush, her pearls, smells her perfume, then lifts up a photo of Corrine as a little girl. Courtney looks back at her Mom. Corrine makes a face on the phone call and Courtney laughs as Corrine continues on the phone.

Courtney notices her mom's closet door is open and she enters, gazing at all of her clothes. She looks at a row of her musketeer uniforms and gently touches the beautiful fabrics.

"Courtney!"

Courtney pops out of the closet, worried she's been caught trespassing.

"Can you come with me to check on the guards? They say that they have a problem."

"Of course I'll come along. I don't want to miss a single second that could be spent with you." Courtney replies as she reaches for her mother's hand.

* * *

Corinne and Courtney can be seen walking along the streets, hand in hand as they walk to the palace.

"Come on, let's see what all the fuss is about... Let's see what disaster awaits us," Corinne says as they enter the training grounds.

"Corinne! I'm so glad you're here. The 'big boys' have gotten into another argument about who's better and decided that the only way to find out is to challenge you to a …" Viveca trails off.

"A duel? Sure why not?" Corinne says as she grabs a sword and manages to defeat both of them in less than two minutes. "Wait. What happened to the battle? Oh, you're both too tired to continue. That's a shame. Well, so between the two of you, who's better?"

"Neither of us. Because you're better," Both men mumble in defeat.

"Mom is too cool," Courtney says to herself.

Corinne walks over to Courtney triumphantly and smiles at Courtney. "I know we were going to spend the whole day just the two of us, but can the girls come over for lunch. They said that they'll bring Rose, Trista and Aria. Is that okay with you?"

"I guess so. But only if you promise after lunch, we'll spend the whole afternoon together," Courtney says seriously.

"It's a deal," Corinne promises.

Corinne and Courtney make their way towards the castle gates, passing several dueling musketeers.

"So why did you and dad separate before he 'died'?" Courtney asks curiously.

"Why the sudden curiosity about your Dad?"

"Well, we have an assignment for school where we need to make a family tree or something and we were told to do research on our family over the break," Courtney lies, hoping her mother would believe it.

"I'm going home to prepare for lunch. See you in half an hour." Corinne says while waving to Viveca, Aramina and Renee.

Corinne and Courtney head back down the circular staircase.

"So, what happened? And I want the truth."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Mom, I need to know. It's for the project at school. If I don't do this assignment, then I could get kicked out of the school of my dreams. Grandma let you follow your dreams when you were old enough to try. The least you can do is let me try to follow mine."

"Okay. But I'm not a hundred percent sure that you're ready to hear what I'm going to tell you," Corinne says as she guides Courtney to a bench to sit down.

"Of course I'm ready mom, I was born ready for everything. Or at least almost everything." Courtney says with a laugh.

"I have a confession to make. Your father wasn't an ordinary man, he was never ordinary. He was, I mean is the king of France. Louisa, he's still alive." Corrine says slowly so her daughter can understand what she's saying.

"Mom! Why would you keep this information away from me. And why would you tell me that he's dead?" Courtney exclaims, pretending to be angry.

"You have to understand that you weren't old enough to know about this. I was planning on telling you on your 13th birthday. That's still in three years."

"Oh, I'm sorry mom. But can you please continue with the story?"

"Before I married him, I was a musketeer. I wasn't a noble until then, so some people thought that I was unfit to be queen. They would send letters telling me to leave, but I couldn't leave the man I loved. I tore every letter in my office and then burnt them so your father would never see it. When you were 1, there was a letter that threatened that they would kill your father if I didn't leave within the next 24 hours. I got so upset about it; I tore it in front of your father. He gave me an odd look, but didn't say anything about it. I wasn't going to. Leave the man that I fought so hard to have! It was unthinkable. I was so feed up with those letters that I didn't realize your father was in my study when I tore the letter."

"So, it was a stupid letter that made you leave dad?" Courtney questions. "That doesn't sound very you."

"No, something else happened later that night that made me leave. If you stop interrupting, I'd be able to tell you the whole story." Corrine says with a sigh.

"Oh, sorry again," Courtney says with a blush.

"That night, you couldn't fall asleep, so I took you from your crib and started walking in the garden with you. Suddenly, a man came out of nowhere and grabbed you from my hands. He held a gun to your head and threatened to kill you right there on the spot. I was completely powerless because I had no weapon to fight him with and very little energy at that time. He said that your life would be spared if I left at that moment without a fuss, and if I didn't, he said that he'd kill you right away and find a way to have me killed. If he wasn't holding you, I think I would have let him try to kill me. Many have tried to kill me and all have failed so far, I'm too good to die."

"Mom, I know that this sounds super weird, but why didn't you let him kill me? Then you'd still be with dad, right?"

"But you have to understand Louisa, when you're a mother, the safety and happiness of you children are of the utmost importance. So I surrendered and left the palace for the last time. I never saw you father again. I think that's what hurt the most of leaving him. I never got to kiss him goodbye and the fact that you had to grow up without a father."

"But mom, don't you still miss him?" Courtney asks as she looks at her mother's face closely.

"Yes, I miss your father very much. I had honestly thought that he would come out and look for me, he promised that he always would." Corrine looks away, "But I guess I was wrong, and he didn't love me enough to look for me."

* * *

 **So, the cat's out of the bag. Long kept secrets have been spilled and emotions let out. I know it's kind of rushed, but I have something planned somewhere in my mind. Now, I only need to find it.**

 **If you find that the changing perspectives and names are a little confusing, I can try to do something else so it's easier to understand.  
**

 **Feed back is graciously welcomed.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	10. There's a Problem

**I know that I haven't updated in a while (more like a long time), but I've been a little busy. We were away on a trip for a week, school started and teachers have been giving us piles of homework. Updates might start getting a little slower since school started.**

 **There might be a few problems, that I'll fix in a bit, because I've been starring at this for an hour and can't make sense of what I wrote.  
**

* * *

As Shannon and Louisa head up the stairs, Louis yells, "Courtney, when you're done, would you please come downstairs. I'd like to talk to you about someone I'd like you to meet."

"Okay, Dad. I will once I'm finished freshening up."

"Okay, Courtney."

Louisa continues up the stairs, suddenly stops and turns to Shannon.

"Someone he wants me to meet? What does he mean by that?"

"He didn't tell you?" Shannon asks with a shocked expression.

"Tell me what?" Louisa asks before she hears the sound of a woman laughing. She looks down and sees a blond woman kissing her father before she gets into the car.

Louisa turns back to Shannon and mouths,"Who is that?" Shannon motions for Louisa to follow her upstairs.

* * *

They arrive in Courtney's room and Louisa sees it for the first time. Sunny, warmly furnished with lots of books, a canopy bed, huge closets crammed with dresses and jewelry. The balcony doors are wide open and a gentle breeze billows the curtains.

"Who's the ugly blonde downstairs?" Louisa asks suspiciously.

"Courtney, it's none of my business who the Grand Visor chooses for your father to meet. Your father is a big boy; he can do what he wants. Although, we aren't sure if this is what he wants or what the grand Visor wants."

"Right. So who is she?"

"Her name's Diaspro Blake. I'm not going to deprive our father of the chance to explain this to you. I personally don't think she's his type, but I'll let you judge her yourself."

Louisa was tempted to ask what Shannon meant by 'not his type', but decided to let her dad explain. She went downstairs to join him, stopping in front of a photo of baby Courtney before saying, "We were such a cute baby."

"Courtney, I have something to tell you," Louis says, struggling to regain his composure as Louisa enters his office.

"Does it have anything to do with the woman I saw you with when I went upstairs?"

"Yes. Her name is Diaspro Blake. We're having dinner together tonight at 7 at the Imperial, so you'll get to properly meet her," Louis replies distractedly.

Louisa notices a light in her father's eye, and it wasn't from the sun. It wasn't as bright as the light in her father's eye when he talks about her mom, but it was very similar. Louisa decides that a phone call needs to be made immediately, so she excuses herself from her father and went into her room.

* * *

Courtney and Corinne had just arrived at home when the phone rang. "I'll get it mom. I'll come down and help with dessert when I'm done."

When Courtney answers the phone, it was Louisa who starts talking, "Listen Courtney…"

Courtney interrupts Louisa, "Louisa, I can't believe I spent my whole life without mom. She so nice and amazing and…."

"Courtney, stop. There's a problem. Actually, it's an emergency. You have to bring mom over right away," Louisa says exasperatedly.

"Really? Listen Courtney, I had mom talking about why they got divorced. You won't believe it and…"

Courtney was interrupted by Louisa. "Courtney! Listen, we have a major problem. Dad's in love."

"Dad, in love? Get real here Louisa. Dad wouldn't fall in love, or at least he wouldn't be serious about it," Courtney says matter of factly.

"I think he's serious about this. It's the way that he looked when he was talking about 'her'. You need to bring mom over now!" Louisa practically shouts into the phone.

"Well, you'll just have to separate them. Sabotage her. Do whatever you have to," Courtney says with a sigh.

"I'll try, but I'm at a slight disadvantage. I only met the man twelve hours ago. You've got to get back here to help me."

"I can't. I want more time with Mom. I just met her. We have the whole day planned together and you want me to bring her over to Paris now. You got to be with mom for 9 years. Sorry, but I want more time with her," Courtney says before hanging up.

* * *

Louisa couldn't believe this. The two of them had been working on this plan for months, and it is all about to go down the drain because Courtney wants more time with mom. "Courtney, please get mom down here…" was all Louisa got to say before she got the dial tone, "Because he might be considering to propose or something like that. Thanks a lot for helping me in my time of need," Louisa says sadly.

* * *

Courtney was furious. How could Louisa think by pretending their father was in love, she could deprive her of time to spend with her mother that she just meet? Her anger must've been radiating from her because as soon as Corrine caught sight of her daughter, she demanded to know what had happened.

"Oh, it isn't much mother. Just a girl from Princess Charm School calling and saying something that was a little mean," Louisa says with a sigh.

The look on Corrine's face says that she didn't think that was the reason, but decides to remain silent about it. "Well, if there isn't anything that's bothering you, Louisa, could you help me make the cupcakes while I make lunch? You can choose what kind."

"Sure mom. Wait, where's the recipe book?" Louisa asks rather cautiously.

"It's in the drawer. Like's it's been since you were 5 sweetheart."

"Thanks mom." And with that, Courtney starts gathering ingredients for the cupcakes. She decides to make vanilla cupcakes because it was the easiest kind according to Louisa. She hopes that she doesn't mess up like last time. Courtney carefully put the cupcakes in the oven and then frosts them.

"There. Done mom," Courtney says with a gesture of her hand at the large cupcake tower that was on the middle of the counter. "Would you like to be the first person to try?"

Corrine walks around the tower in awe at what her daughter had accomplished. "This looks marvelous! And I have no doubt that it tastes as good as it looks, since you are the one who made this," With that, Corrine took a cupcake, carefully unpeels it and takes a large bite out of it. A peculiar expression crossed her face. "Louisa D'Artagnan! What in the world have you done to these cupcakes?"

"What do you mean mom? I'm sure I followed the recipe correctly," Courtney protests.

"Why don't you take a bite and tell me what you think of these cupcakes," Corrine instructs and Courtney leans in to take a bite of the cupcake.

"It tastes awful mom. Do you think something happened to the ingredients? I knew that they weren't fresh enough."

"I don't think it was the ingredients. You went to the market and bought them this morning, didn't you?" Corrine says slowly.

"Oh, mom. If it isn't the ingredients that are making the cupcakes taste bad, I think I've unlearned how to bake," Courtney says as she bursts into tears.

"There, there sweetheart. We'll just have to do without dessert at lunch today. But how in the world do you think you unlearned baking Louisa? I don't think it's possible. But Grandma and I can teach you, and then you'll be as good as you were before you left."

At that moment Viveca, Aramina, Renee, Aria, Rose and Trista enter the kitchen. (There's no door, because it was kicked down several years ago)

"Girls, please don't touch the cupcakes. They don't taste right." Corrine warns them as she escorts everyone into the dining room for lunch.

"So, how has the morning been?" Rose asks Courtney as they sit at the table.

"Oh, it was awful. I think grandma's getting suspicious about me and I ruined a simple recipe that Louisa could probably do with her eyes closed," Louisa whispers back.

"What did you do?" Trista asks.

"Just some things that Louisa would never be caught doing in her sleep. Like messing up a recipe. Again. It was awful." Courtney says with a sigh.

"Well, you do know that we'll be across the street if you need our help," Aria points out.

"I know. I probably will need your help."

* * *

Here she is, stuck in an unfamiliar castle, with unfamiliar people and now this crazy lady is trying to ruin their plan. Things are not supposed to go like this for Louisa. For the whole afternoon, Louisa stayed in her room and refuses to get out to see anyone. Shannon thought that she was sulking, but in reality, she was only thinking about what to do.

Knowing that her part of getting her parents back together would involve trying to get rid of the ugly blond, she knows that she will have to give it 110%. But she is unsure of how to do it. Her plan would have to be very precise and make her leave right away.

While she was busy thinking, she fell asleep, because when she opens her eyes, the clock read 6:55. Her mind whirls. She only has five minutes to get into the carriage if she doesn't want to be late. She jumps out of bed and changes into a violet dress that was laid out on her chair. After changing, she runs down the stairs, gets lost several times, but eventually reaches the carriage that was waiting outside the castle.

In the carriage, her father was gazing at the sky with a peculiar glint in his eye. She decides not to say anything about it to her father, in case it angers him. She had heard stories of her father's anger from Courtney and wondered if it really could be as bad as her mother's.

When the carriage arrives at the Imperial, Louisa saw the ugly blond seated at a table set for three. Diaspro turns towards Louisa, got up from her seat and extends her hand, saying in a voice a little to happily to be real. "So, you must be Princess Constance. Your father sings his praises about you. I'm so glad to make your acquaintance after so long."

Louisa is tempted to sneer at the woman who was threatening to ruin their plans, but decides to play along for now so that she wouldn't anger her father. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance as well, Miss Blake. However, if you don't mind, would you please call me Courtney. All of my friends call me that." As she was speaking, Louisa had her first good look at Diaspro. She was tall, her blond hair went past her shoulders and she is wearing a sleeveless red dress. But, her face reminds Louisa of a snake ready to strike and take out whoever she didn't like. Including a certain young princess.

Diaspro on her part, also pretends to like the girl in front of her immediately, "Of course, Courtney. I believe that we'll become the very best of friends. Almost like sisters."

Louis is pleased with how their meeting was going. But, for some reason, there is a strained tension between his companions. He just waves it away and assumes that it is just an act that the two of them were doing.

The three of them sat at the table in silence and ate their meal quietly.

* * *

Upon their return, Louisa is put to bed by Shannon for the first time. She looks around the room when Shannon had left. Nothing was missing from her 'dream room', except the person that matters.

Had she not often secretly wished to have a room like this? And now that she had it, a sharp pain, pointed with envy and longing, bore into her heart. She envies her sister of getting to sleep with her mother tonight and the nights to come.

* * *

 **I'm actually not that proud of this chapter and it isn't one that I like very much, but I hope you liked it, or at least found the reading okay.**

 **And I know that the names are confusing. But if this helps, when someone else who doesn't know about the switch says either Courtney or Louisa, they're referring to the twin that's there. If you have any suggestion about this, I'd like to hear about what you'd find easier to understand.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,  
**

 **Lasting Violet**


	11. Time Spent Together

**School's been keeping me really busy. We've only been in school for three weeks, but if feel like forever. Hope you enjoy this chapter.  
**

* * *

A week had gone by since the twin's first day among strangers. Days where every minute, every causal incident, every encounter threatened discovery. Courtney had not forgiven Louisa for wanting her to bring mom back to Paris, but Louisa was on speaking terms with Courtney. Actually, they were on writing terms, because they didn't want to risk someone else answering the phone and wondering why the person on the phone sounded like the girl in their house. In that week, both sisters had written to each other many times demanding urgent and additional information.

* * *

Diaspro had started to notice that Louis started spending more and more time at the palace, now that his daughter had come back. And in a way, she challenged him about it. But she was very respectable about it, because if she should say something to anger him, he may want her head on a golden plate. People of high power can be very dangerous.

"You know, when I came back after lunch the other day, Courtney was sitting at the piano strumming away happily at the keys. And she was singing a little song, too. It was quite sweet!" Louis pauses thoughtfully, "But, in the old days, Courtney wouldn't have gone near a piano if you tried to drag her over with a tractor."

"And?" Diaspro asks. Her eyebrows went up all the way till they nearly reached the line of her hair.

"And?" Louis gave a nervous laugh. "I've been giving her piano lessons every day and she thinks it's lots of fun. Frankly, I think it's lots of fun as well."

Diaspro looks rather shocked. Then she says pointedly, "I thought you were a king, not a piano-teacher for little girls."

In the past, if anybody had said that, Louis would have been outraged. But he just laughs and says, "But I can become anyone I want to be if I set my heart towards it and work for it."

Hmm. That is a nice saying, because there was something that Diaspro wants to be. She wants to be Queen. The Queen of France to be more exact. He is powerful. She likes him and he likes her back. So there were no problems in her way. It was true that he had no idea of his future happiness with her, but she would secretly let him know about it in good time. And then, he would tell her how he had thought of the idea of getting married to her.

The only problem was that child. Though, when he had another child or two, her concern about Courtney would become alright in the end. Diaspro vows to herself that she would find a way to handle that young girl.

* * *

Suddenly, at noon on Friday, Corrine packs a rucksack. "Put on your good shoes," she says. "We're going to go out into the country and we won't be back till Sunday."

Courtney asks in a worried tone, "Is it really okay for you to take a day off from work? You're always super busy. Would we be able to afford it?"

Corrine feels a stab in her heart. "Of course it's alright to take a day off from work to spend it with my daughter. But if we don't have enough money, I'll just have to sell you," she says with a laugh.

Courtney looks around for a moment. "And when you have the money, you can give it to the person who bought me. And when you've sold me several times we'll have enough money to last us a lifetime!"

"Are you really worth that much?" Corrine asks as she tries to hide a smile.

"Yes mommy. I'm worth as much as any other princess. Because if my dad's a King, I'm worth lots of money." Courtney says. "May I take my mouth organ?"

* * *

What a week end it was! They trampled through a forest, passing a lovely lake, playing tunes on the mouth organ and sang songs . Then through tall trees, slipping and stumbling. They found wild strawberries and ate them without washing them in advance. There were fields of blooming flowers that smelt sweet beyond belief. Instead of staying at the inn in the nearby village, they had camped out in the field and slept under the stars.

In the morning, they went on their way. A large, snow capped mountain stood in the distance as men and women left the church in their finest garments. Cows stood around the street as if they were gossiping over something.

And then they continued on the road again. There was a bit of tough walking and chasing to be done after flying hats. They ate lunch near some grazing horses, in a field of flowers, munching on boiled eggs and cheese and ham sandwiches. Later they had a short nap in a large grassy field. They then continued on and passed a lake. The lake looked tiny in the bowl of the valley that surrounded it. Of course they played in the lake and when they were tired of playing, they had tea and cupcakes.

Then it was high time to start walking back home. Late in the evening, they dropped onto a field of flowers to sleep. The last thing Courtney said to her mother was, "Mother, today was lovely. Lovelier than anything in the world! And I'm glad I got to see it all with you!"

That night, Corrine lay on the grass thinking for a while. How often had she deprived her daughter of time spent together that could've easily been hers. Well, it wasn't too late. She still had years to make up to her daughter.

Then, Corrine slowly felt herself being pulled into dreamland. A smile formed on her mouth and flitted across her face like the wind over a field of flowers. Her daughter had changed, and now the young woman was starting to change as well.

* * *

"So, Courtney, what do you think of Diaspro?" Louis asks as the two of them are strolling in the garden.

"As what, Dad? Your friend? Your ... ?"

"I don't know. Just what do you think of her... as a person?"

"Well, she's cute, she has nice hair, good teeth, she can spell the word YOU... I really don't know. Honestly, Dad, the woman's a complete stranger to me. Why do you want my opinion anyway?"

"Well, I'll tell you why... because believe it or not, honey..."

"Race you back to the castle, Dad!" Louisa picks up her skirt and starts to run to the palace.

"Courtney, I'm trying to tell you something!" Louis yells after her.

Out of breath, Louisa runs up the porch steps and throws open the screen door. She walks to the parlor while panting heavily. She stops, catches her breath before walking into the parlor.. She's feeling a little panicky because she thinks she knows what her father wants to talk about.

"I'm in so over my head here. I can't handle this alone. I just can't. I'm only one girl," Louisa exclaims to herself.

Shannon peers around the corner of the arm chair she's been sitting in while mending one of Courtney's dresses. "Do you have something that you'd like to share with the world?"

"Oh, Shannon, you scared me!" Louisa exclaims jumping backwards.

"I scared you?"

"You startled me. I didn't know you were in here. I'll just go to my room now," Louisa says as she tries to escape to her room.

"You sure there's nothing you want to talk to me about? Like maybe why Prince never comes near you anymore, or why your appetite's suddenly changed, or why all of a sudden you're not as neat and say words that you know shouldn't be said since you were three?" Shannon says as she gets up from the chair.

"Shannon, I changed a lot over the term, that's all," Louisa whispers.

"Yes, but you were supposed to come back more princess like. Not more like a country girl. If I didn't know better, I'd say it's almost as if you were..." Shannon pauses. "Oh, never mind, that's too impossible, she died six years ago." She then turns around as if she were leaving

"Almost as if I were what?" Louisa questions. "Shannon?"

"Nobody. Nobody. Forget I even mentioned it."

"Almost as if I were... Louisa?"

Shannon stops, stunned, goose-bumps popping up all over. "You know about Louisa? How is that possible?"

"I AM Louisa," Louisa replies, raising her chin to look at Shannon squarely in the eye.

Just then, Louis enters the parlor, also a little out of breath.

"Why did you run off like that? I told you I wanted-to talk to you about something?" Louis says between breaths before continuing to speak. "Shannon, why are you looking at her like that?

"Like what? I'm not looking at her any special way," Shannon says with a gasp, not taking her eyes away from Louisa." Her eyes start tearing up, before she continues speaking, "I'm looking at her just like I've looked at her for nine years. Since the day she was born." With that Shannon starts to cry. "This is how I look at her. Can I hug her?"

Shannon, all broken up, hugs Louisa like she's hugging her for the first time.

"She's grown so beautiful and so big."

Louisa gives Shannon a look that says, "Please don't say anything!"

"I'm going to go and find you something special to eat. What would you like? Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll ask cook to whip up everything we've got."

Shannon takes off as Louis approaches Louisa.

"Why's everybody acting so unusual around here? Courtney, we have to talk."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Courtney, ... I want to know what you think about making Diaspro part of the family?"

"Part of our family?" Louisa repeats, unsure if she heard correctly.

"Yes."

"I think it's an awesome idea. Inspired. Brilliant really."

"You do?" Louis asks with amazement.

"Totally. It's like a dream come true. I've always wanted a big sister."

"Courtney, I'm afraid you're kind of missing the point."

"No, I'm not. You're going to adopt Diaspro. That is so sweet, Dad."

"I'm not going to adopt her; I'm going to MARRY her," Louis says while emphasizing on the word marry.

Louisa jumps up in astonishment. "Marry her?! That's insane! How can you marry a woman young enough to be my big sister?!"

"I can because I choose to do so. You know that she's very fond of you and that she'd make a good mother. It's not right for you to grow up without a mother. You yourself told me that," Louis says. (Wasn't he touching? There was one more thing that he could've said. That he was marrying to give his daughter a mother!)

"No," Louisa says loudly. It sounded like a cry. Then she repeats, "No, please don't Dad! No, please! Pleases, please, no!"

"Courtney, calm down. You'll get used to the idea of having a mom sooner than you think. Cruel stepmothers only happen in fairy tales. So I know that I can rely on you. You're the most sensible girl that I've meet."

Louisa continues shaking her head and moving her lips in without saying a word. Like a machine that couldn't stop. She looks frightening.

"What has gotten into you?" Louis asks concerned.

"Nothing. It's nothing... Just... Just..." Louisa takes a deep breath before letting it all out."Dad, you can't get married! It'll totally ruin completely everything!"

Louisa then storms out. Louis notices Shannon standing in the doorway, biting her nails.

"Don't look at me, sir. I don't know what's happened to Courtney." Shannon lies.

Louis looks out the window and sees Treville getting the carriage ready for his trip to town. As he hears Courtney's door slam shut, he sinks lower into his chair, not wanting to move.

* * *

Louisa has no idea what to do. It is unthinkable that her father should marry another woman. He already had a wife. Even if he didn't live with her. Louisa would never accept a new mother, never! She has a mother, her mother whom she loves more than anyone else in the world! Louisa was sure that her mother would help her, but if Courtney refuses to bring her over, it would be hopeless.

So there was only one way left, and Louisa will have to do it herself.

She sneaks into her father's study and finds a telephone directory in the bottom left drawer of his wooden desk. With trembling fingers, she turns the page until she reaches 'Blake'. There weren't very many Blakes. In fact there is only one Blake family; 'Stefan Blake. Managing director, Parisian Hotels, 43 Kollman Avenue.' Her father had mentioned recently that Diaspro's father owned several hotels and restaurants, including the Imperial, the one they had gone to for lunch last week.

Louisa went downstairs to find Shannon. To her satisfaction, her father had gone out of the castle for the day. Shannon is in a mad frenzy making something, but Louisa has no time to wonder what it was. "Shannon, how do you get to Kollman Avenue from here?"

Shannon then proceeds to explain how to get to Kollman Avenue and has drawn a map for Louisa.

Louisa put on her hat and coat as she listens to Shannon, before she announces "I'm going out now. I'll be back in a while. Thank you for the map, Shannon."

"Louisa, you wait a moment and let me call for someone to escort you. Your father would be furious if he found out that you had gone out to the city alone, and without an escort."

"It's alright. Back in Vienna, I'd go out by myself and I can do the same thing here. Besides, if father gets upset, I'll take the blame so your position isn't in jeopardy."

"I suppose so, but only if you're sure. Why are you going to Kollman Avenue?" Shannon asks curiously.

"I'm sure about going out on my own. I can defend myself. I want to speak to someone that's on Kollman Avenue."

"Well, don't be long. Your father would be furious if he came back and you weren't here," Shannon replies, giving Louisa a long hug.

Louisa nods and leaves the castle.

* * *

A parlor maid enters Diaspro Blake's dressing parlor and smiles."There's a child who's come to see you, Madame. A little girl."

Diaspro had just finished re-varnishing her nails and is waving her hands to help them dry. "A little girl you say?"

"Yes, she wants to see you right away."

"Let her in."

The parlor maid left with a hasty curtsy. Diaspro rises from the couch, threw a glance at herself in the mirror and couldn't hide a smile at the look of her tense and earnest expression.

As Louisa enters the dressing parlor with the maid, Diaspro turns to the parlor maid and says, "Make us some chocolate and bring several éclairs." Then she turns to her visitor. "How nice of you to come and see me. It shows how thoughtless I am. I should have invited you several days ago. Won't you take your coat off? You can warm your hands by the fire."

"No thank you," Louisa says, "I won't stay long."

"Oh?" Diaspro says in her patronizing manner. "But, would you have time to sit down?" And with that, Louisa perches herself on the edge of the chair, never taking her eyes off the lady.

Diaspro began to find the situation rather awkward and ridiculous. But she controlled herself. After all, there was something at stake. Something that she was determined to win. "I suppose you were just passing by and decided to stop by."

"No, I have something to say to you."

Diaspro smiles encouragingly, "I'm all ears. What is it?"

Louisa got off the chair, stood in the middle of the room, and says slowly, "Father says that you want to marry him."

"Did he really say that?" Diaspro's laugh was as clear as a bell. "Did he really say that he wanted to marry me? Still, that doesn't really matter. It's quite true, Courtney. Your father and I wish to get married. And you and I will get along together just fine. I'm quite sure of it. Aren't you?" Diaspro pauses and waits for Louisa's reply. When no sound came from the young girl, Diaspro continues speaking. "Listen, when we've lived together for several years, we shall be the best of friends. We'll get along together wonderfully. Won't we?"

Louisa steps back and says seriously, "You mustn't marry father."

This was certainly going too far. "And why not?"

"Because you can't."

"That's not a very good reason," Diaspro says sharply. Kindness was getting her nowhere. "Are you trying to forbid me from marrying your father?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I've never heard such nonsense!" She was becoming agitated. "I must ask you to go home now. I don't know if I shall tell your father about this visit. I'll think it over. But if I don't tell him, it's because I don't want to put serious obstacles in our future friendship. Because I still want to believe that we'll be friends."

Louisa turns around again at the door and says, "Leave us alone! Please, please …"And then she was gone.

Diaspro concludes that there will be one thing left to do, hasten the preparations of the marriage. And when the marriage and the school year was over, she will arrange to send the child away to a boarding school in the Alps. The strict discipline at the hands of strangers will teach her not to meddle with what she wants.

"What do you want?"

The parlor maid is there with the tray. "I've brought the chocolate. And the éclairs. What's become of the child?"

"Get out!"

* * *

Louis has not yet come back to the palace for dinner. So Shannon keeps Louisa company as she eats her dinner, like she did when her father went out on a trip.

"You aren't eating a thing," remarks Shannon with a frown. "And you look like a ghost. Is something the matter Louisa? Is it that you aren't used to living in the palace?"

Louisa shook her head and says nothing. Shannon took Louisa's hand and then drops it. "You're freezing. Off to bed." Then panting and groaning, Louisa climbs the many stairs to her bedroom, undresses and crept into the bed.

"Don't tell Daddy!" murmurs Louisa. Her teeth were chattering. Shannon piles up the blankets and pillows into a little fort on the bed for Louisa. Then she ran to the telephone and calls Dr. Chan.

The old gentleman promises to come immediately. He is just as worried as Shannon is.

Shannon then telephones the inn that Louis is staying at. "All right," someone answeres, "We'll tell him to return home once he comes back." Shannon flew back to the bedroom. Louisa's tossing around in the bed, stammering meaningless words in German. The pillows and blankets have fallen to the floor. If only the doctor would come. What should she do? Compress? But what kind of compress? Hot? Cold? Wet? Dry?

* * *

Louis had returned to the small inn in Paris in the evening. He was chatting with James and drinking a bit of red wine when there was a knock on the door. The inn manager enters and announces, "We've had a call from the palace. Your daughter has suddenly taken ill. The doctor was called immediately, by now he should be by her bedside."

At that, Louis turned very pale. "Thank you, Henry." He said in a low voice. The inn keeper withdrew.

"I hope it's nothing serious," James said. "Has she got measles?"

"No. Have Treville prepare the carriage. I need to make a phone call very quickly," Louis said and got up. He walked to the reception at the front and borrowed the telephone. "Hello, Diaspro!"

"Yes, darling? Are you ready to go and eat dinner so soon? I'm not ready to go out yet."

Louis hurriedly told her what he had just heard. Then he said, "I'm afraid I can't take you out for dinner tonight."

"Of course not. I hope it's nothing serious. Has she got measles?" Diaspro asks.

"No. I don't think it's measles," he answered impatiently. I'll call you again tomorrow." Then he put down the receiver and rushed to the carriage.

* * *

Louis finally arrives at the palace. He rushes up the stairs and Shannon let him in Courtney's room. Dr. Chan is sitting at her bedside. "How is she?" he asks in a whisper.

"Not well,'' answers the doctor, "But you don't have to whisper. I just finished giving her an injection."

Louisa lay on the pillows, flushed and fighting for breath. Her face was drawn as if the artificial sleep distresses her.

"Measles?" Louis asks.

"No, not a trace," Was the doctor's reply.

Shannon enters the room snuffling back tears. Dr. Chan looks inquiringly from the two of them before saying, "She is evidently going through a nervous crisis. Do you have any idea what might have caused it? No? Well, do you have a suspicion?"

Shannon says, "I don't know if this has anything to do with this, but - she went out this afternoon. She said that she had to speak to someone. And before, she asked me how to get to Kollman Avenue."

"Kollman Avenue?" repeats the doctor, who then looks at Louis.

Louis quickly went into the next room and telephones Diaspro. "Did Courtney go and see you this afternoon?"

"Yes," her voice answers, "How did she tell you this?"

He made no reply to her question, but asks, "What did she want?"

Diaspro laughs shortly. "You should ask her that yourself."

"Answer please!" It was lucky that she couldn't see his face.

"If you really want to know, she came over to forbid me from marrying you," she says sharply.

He mumbles something and put down the receiver. "What's the matter with her?" Diaspro asks. Then she became aware that she had been cut off. "The little brat!" she exclaims, loudly. "She goes off to bed and pretends that she's ill."

* * *

The doctor gave further instructions and prepares to leave the palace. Louis stops him at the door. "What's wrong with the child?"

"A nervous fever. I'll look at her again tomorrow morning. Goodnight your Highness."

The telephone rang. James pokes his head around the door, "Miss Diaspro would like to talk to you."

Louis shakes his head as he went into Courtney's room. He sits down by the bed and says to Shannon, "I don't need you for the rest of the night. You're dismissed."

"But shouldn't I stay-"Shannon starts but stops when Louis looks at her.

"I said. You're dismissed for today. Good night."

And with that Shannon left Courtney's room. Louis moves closer to the little figure on the bed. He reaches his hand out and strokes her hot cheek. Louisa fidgets in her sleep and withers away from him. He looks around the room, and his eyes land on her trunk. Beside her trunk lay Constance, her doll. Louis stealthily got up, fetches Constance, puts out the light and sits by the bed again. He sits in the dark, stroking the doll as if it were a child. A child that did not move away from him.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and feedback is always welcomed.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,  
**

 **Lasting Violet**


	12. The Truth Comes Out

For the past week, Courtney had gone to the post office, in hopes for Louisa's letter to arrive. It never came. Today has been the same. She has been standing at the counter of the post office. "No," the clerk at the counter says, his voice sympathetic. "No, Miss Forget-Me-Not, nothing for you again."

Courtney looks at him doubtfully. "What can it mean? She said that she'd write to me every day, but I haven't received a letter since last week." She observes miserably.

The clerk tries a little joke, "Perhaps the not has fallen from the forget-me-not."

"It's alright," she says to herself. "I'll come again tomorrow."

"We'll do our best for you," he says smiling.

* * *

Headmistress Privet and Marie are strolling through Vienna catching up. Marie had bumped into her at the market, and the two of them did some catching up, ignoring the age difference between the two of them. A small figure flew out of the post office and bumps into Marie.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for bumping into you. Here, let me help you up," Courtney says extending her hand. She jumps when she realizes that she bumped into her grandmother. "Sorry, Grandma."

"It's alright. Would you like to walk with us Louisa?" Marie asks.

"I suppose so."

"Louisa, what were you doing at the post office? Your grandmother told me that you've been going to the post office every day. Is something the matter?" Alexandria asks casually.

"Oh, I'm just waiting for a letter from Louisa. Oh, I mean Courtney," Courtney says really quickly, hoping that the two ladies didn't notice her slip.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying Louisa? Or should I say Courtney?" Alexandria asks with a smile.

Marie looks between the two individuals besides her. What in the world are they talking about? "Alexandria, would you care to explain to me what's going on?"

"Perhaps your granddaughter can explain it to you," was her reply.

Courtney glances around nervously, as if she were looking for a way to avoid the topic, but it she knew that there was no way to avoid having to talk about this. She gives up with a sigh and slowly starts, "Grandma, I have something to tell you," she pauses and shuts her eyes, "I'm not Louisa. I'm Courtney."

"Is that so? Then may I ask what you have done to my granddaughter and where she is?" Marie asks, trying not to let her motherly instincts take over her as panic sweeps into her chest.

"But I am your granddaughter. I'm Louisa's twin, Courtney. Louisa's in Paris with dad. You see, we switched places over Christmas break, and I was hoping to get a letter from her. She hasn't sent anything all week; I'm worried that something has happened to her!" Courtney rushes trying to say all that in one breath, but fails to do so.

"So, you're my other granddaughter? The one that lives with Louis? How did you meet each other?" Marie asks in astonishment.

"I can answer that question. The two were put in the same class, and the same dorm. I promise you, that it was an accident, but I don't think that would matter now. They somehow figured out that they were twins and concocted a plan to switch places."

"How did you find out Miss. Privet? The only other people who knew about the plan are Trista, Rose and Aria." Courtney said slowly.

"The day everyone came back from the festival, you told the girls about your plans. Am I right?" Alexandria pauses and receives a nod from the girl. "I was hoping to speak to you and your sister, but when I got to your dorm, I heard the two of you telling them about being twins and didn't want to interrupt. When you had finished talking, I had heard all the information that I wanted to know, so I didn't bother calling you to my office."

"But how did you find out about us switching? You know that it isn't polite to eavesdrop."

"You could think it were more like waiting outside for you and overhearing the two of you talk. But I apologize for listening to your conversation. You five girls have been acting really strangely, so I suspected that something was going on. On the last day of school, I happened to overhear the two of you talking and figured out the rest."

"So you've known all along? Then why didn't you tell grandma about it?"

"It was your secret to tell. Not mine." Alexandria says with a sly smile.

"Alexandria, if you can excuse us, I have to talk to my granddaughter here. Would it be alright if we have a privet discussion right now?"

"Of course. Have a nice day Marie," Alexandria says and waves goodbye.

"Now, young lady. I believe we have a lot to discuss right now," Marie says as she leads her granddaughter to a bench.

* * *

Corrine yawns on her bed, as she had just woken up. Her white satin nightgown rustles as she moves around a little in her bed, hoping to fall asleep again.

Courtney appears in the doorway, watching to her mother wiggle in bed. Marie walks by and gives Courtney a little nudge, pushing her into the room.

"Hi, Louisa. Come on in," she says as she pats the bed. Courtney crosses the room and climbs in next to her mother.

"I think I need to slip in the palace and check on everybody. But after that, we can spend the whole day together at the park or the movies. I was thinking, that we could go watch the princess bride. I don't think you got the chance to watch it, because it came out while you were in school," Corinne says as she slips her arm over Courtney's shoulder.

"I can't. Mom, sorry, I have to go out of town today," Courtney says nervously.

"Louisa, why would you have to go out of town?" she says lightly, "And where are you going?"

Courtney squirms under the sheets, and disappears entirely.

"Louisa? What's wrong?" she asks.

A muffled voice replies, "That's where I have to go. I need to check on Louisa."

"Where is Louisa? I thought she's here in bed with me," Corrine says, playing along thinking that this was a game.

Courtney squirms even farther under the covers. "Louisa's in Paris. She's with dad. And I'm afraid that something might be wrong. She hasn't written to me in a week."

Suddenly, everything dawns on her. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. Tears start welling up in her eyes as she lifts the blanket covering the very scared Courtney. "You aren't Louisa?"

"That would be right mom," Courtney replies as a tear escapes her eye and trickles down her cheek.

"So you're saying that you're Courtney…"

"I am, mom," she says as she crawls out from under the blanket. "Louisa and I met at school and we decided to switch places. I'm sorry for having tricked you, but I'd never seen you and I'd dream't of meeting you my whole life and Louisa felt the exact same way about Dad, so we just sort of switched lives. I hope you're not mad because I love you so much and I just hope one day you can love me as me and not as Louisa," She says as tears start streaming down her face.

"Oh, honey, I've loved you your whole life. It broke my heart to know that I left you when I left the palace," She takes Courtney in her arms,"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I was scared," She says as she sobs in her mother's arms. Corrine wipes her tears."I guess you have to switch us back now, huh?"

"You're supposed to be with your father, and Louisa's supposed to be with me," She says softly, trying to imagine a life without both her daughters.

"This is an awful arrangement you know? It's like you took away a part of me from my whole childhood."

"I know that it's bad, and I don't want to lose you after getting to know you either."

"I guess we'll have to go to Paris to see dad, find out what's wrong with Louisa and sort the whole thing out now..."

"I guess so."

"Will you be nervous about seeing Dad again?"

"No, of course not. Do I have a reason to be nervous?"

"Well, you see," She pauses to twirl a strand of hair rather nervously, "Dad kind of thinks you're dead."

"He thinks I'm what?!"

* * *

 **So the next few chapter probably will be a little short like this one, because I don't want to stretch everything. But, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter**

 **Cheerio,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	13. Reunions

The next morning, as Dr. Chan walked to the palace to check on Louisa, a bright yellow taxi drives up the gravel driveway to the palace doors. A little girl jumps out of the taxi. "Hello Dr. Chan. How are you today?"

The doctor was too surprised at seeing her to answer. Suddenly he sprang at the child and shouts "Have you gone crazy? Get back into your bed at once!"

Courtney made a dash for the palace doors as Corrine got out of the taxi.

"That child will catch her death!" cries the doctor, horrified.

"She's not the child you think she is. She's her sister," Corrine says pleasantly.

* * *

Shannon opens the palace door and is greeted by Courtney. "Hello, Shannon. It's me Courtney. The real one. Louisa's the one that's here. What's wrong with her? Why's the doctor here?" she asks hurriedly.

At that moment, Dr. Chan and Corrine arrive at the palace door.

"I'm afraid that she's sick. The doctor says it's a fever and she may or may not make it," Shannon explains gently, not wanting Courtney to get upset. And with hearing that, Courtney turns half a shade lighter and has to hold on to the door to keep herself from falling. "Your sister's in her room. Um, I mean your room."

And then Shannon turns to Corrine and asks, "Can I show you in the palace? Who are you here to see?"

"I'm here to see my daughter. I know the way to her room thank you very much." And the strange woman disappears into the palace. Upon hearing the words, 'my daughter' Shannon turns three shades paler and faints on the floor.

* * *

Courtney and Corrine rush up the stairs to her room, burst through the door and saw Louis sitting by Louisa's bedside. "I'm sorry for popping in here out of the blue, but we were worried about Louisa. Is the fever very bad?"

"Yes," he says softly. "She might not make the night." Louis turns around and suddenly notices that the person standing in front of him was his 'late wife'. "But how are you here Corrine? You're supposed to be dead. There was a fire,… they said you were killed,… but you're here right now. How is this possible" Louis stammers as he tries to understand what had just happened.

"What do you mean, how am I here? Courtney and I took a plane here, because we were worried about Louisa."

"No, not how you got here today. That doesn't matter right now. How are you still alive? I was told that you died in a house fire six years ago? And what do you mean Courtney and I? Courtney's sick in bed at the moment, is she not?" He questions

"Calm down, let me explain this slowly. The house did catch on fire six years ago, but I never died. I'm a little too good to die; the world still needs me here. As for our daughters, they met at school, and decided to switch places on us, to meet the parent that they never knew," Corrine explains as she strokes Louisa's hot, childish hand. She then kneels by the bed and picks up her trembling little girl into her arms, before putting her back into the bed and tucking the bed sheets around Louisa to keep her warm.

"So are you saying that all this time, I've had Louisa with me instead of Courtney?" Louis asks as he thought about the courage and strength of mind his little girl has showed before sickness and despair overwhelmed her. How brave of her to face Diaspro when she knew all about her mother.

"Yes, that's right daddy. Did you never realize it?" Courtney asks with a joyful smile on her face, "But we must get focused on Louisa. And when she's better, the two of you can rekindle your romance and all the mushy stuff that parents do when they're in love."

"Is the doctor a good doctor?" Corrine asks after a long silence.

"Yes. It's Dr. Chan. The one who used to see you when you were younger. He's known her all her life," Louis gives a short laugh. "Sorry, of course he doesn't know Louisa, he knows Courtney." And with that, Louis gives a sigh. Corrine also sighs. Here are two grownups, whose hearts are completely lost. Their hearts and tongues seem paralyzed and their brains are as well.

Into that awkward and dangerous silence broke Courtney's voice, "Daddy, where's the doctor? He should be here by now." She mentally added, he isn't that old that he needs half an hour to climb up the stairs.

At that moment, there is a knock at the door.

The old doctor enters the room and asks "How's the patient? I had to help Shannon. She fainted at the door."

"Fi-i-ne!" Louisa says with a worn smile from where she was propped up against the pillows.

"Any sign of an appetite today?" he growls.

"If mommy cooks, then maybe. If she doesn't, then no," whispers Louisa, before starting to toss and turn in the bed.

After hearing Louisa say 'mommy', Dr. Chan glances at Corrine and is shocked that he didn't recognize her. She was the girl he had tended to after each injury on the farm, the injuries that she had when she had still been a musketeer. He had helped her for her whole life, yet he wasn't able to recognize her until now.

Corrine nods and went over to the window, "Forgive me Louis for not having talked to you earlier."

Louis shakes his head. "I'm grateful that you've come. She's been getting worse and worse each day. Last night, I was afraid that she would die."

"What else would I do? Louisa needed me. "

"Of course. Louisa..." He replies, "Still I'm grateful."

"You look like you haven't slept for days," Corrine remarks, staring at the tired face of the man she once loved.

"I'll make up for it. I was worried about the child and thinking of how little attention I paid her. I was anxious about her health when she got sick and couldn't sleep," Louis exclaims throwing his hands up.

"She'll be better soon. I can feel it,"Corrine says confidently.

A bit of whispering had been done between the two girls. Courtney bends towards Louisa and whispers, "Mommy doesn't know about Diaspro. We can never ever tell her."

Louisa nods anxiously.

Dr. Chan couldn't hear what they were saying because he was too busy reading the thermometer. Though of course he wasn't reading the thermometer with his ears. And if he did hear something, he was very good at hiding it. "The temperature's almost normal," He announces, "You're over the worst of it. Congratulations Courtney!"

"Thank you," says the real Courtney, giggling.

"Or do you mean me?" asks Louisa smiling warily because her head still hurt.

"You're a pair of tricky girls," He says with a growl, before turning to Louis. "A mother is a special kind of medicine that a doctor can't give. Corrine, would it be possible to stay until Courtney, I mean Louisa's better?"

"I think I can. I would like to stay and help nurse her back to health."

"Then that's settled. Louis will just need to learn to make the best of this situation."

* * *

Night has fallen and there is no sound in Courtney's bedroom. Courtney is sleeping. Louisa is sleeping as well, sleeping her health back.

Up until a few minutes ago, Corrine and Louis had been seated in the next room. They had discussed many things, but avoided discussing many other things. Suddenly, Louis got up, "well, I must go out. There's something that I must do tonight." As he says this, he feels rather foolish. Here in the palace are his two daughters and their mother whom he had thought was dead, and he is going out to see a woman that he is going to marry. He feels like a school boy who was sneaking out of school.

Corrine went with him to the door.

He hesitates, "If she gets any worse, you can call the inn in Paris."

"You don't have to worry," she says confidently, "And don't forget that you still have sleep to make up for."

He nods. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Louis."

As he went down the stairs she calls softly, "Do you have an escort? It would be dangerous not to have one so late at night."

"Yes. James is coming with me."

When she turns and walks upstairs, she stood in the hall for a while, thinking. He has aged; there was no doubt about that. He looks almost like a grown man. Then she went into Courtney's bedroom to keep watch over her girls. Their girls. Hers and his.

* * *

An hour later, a fashionable lady gets out of a car outside the dimly lit inn and enters the inn.

"Are you looking for King Louis? I don't think he's in." the inn keeper grunts as Diaspro enters the inn and walks to the small reception desk.

"There's a light in his usual room," she points out, "So he must be. Here," She slips a piece of paper into his hand and hurries up the stairs to the fourth floor. He stares at the blank paper and then turns back to his large stack of paper work.

"You?" Says Louis as he opens the door in answer to the knock.

"Yes. I'm right on time," Answers Diaspro sourly as she walks into the sitting room. She sits down on the couch on the left side of the room, rests her feet on the tiger skin rug on the floor and looks at him expectantly.

He said nothing.

"Why did you refuse to speak with me on the telephone?" She asks, feeling all her anger risee up from her chest. "Do you think it's civil?"

"I didn't refuse to speak to you."

"Didn't you?" Diaspro accuses.

"I wasn't capable of speaking. I didn't feel like it. The child was very ill."

"But now she's better. Otherwise you'd still be in the palace."

He nods, "Yes, she's better. And my wife that I was tricked into thinking was dead is here."

"Who?"

"My former wife. Everyone told me that she had died and I was absurd enough to believe that she had died. She arrived today with my other child."

"Your _other_ child?" echoes the fashionable lady. "Have you been having an affair? How in the world do you have another child?" she cries in rage, as her face turns red.

"No, I haven't been having an affair." He cried out in exasperation." They're twins. Identical twins. First Courtney was with me, but since school was out for Christmas I've had Louisa. Yet, I didn't notice it. I only found out about this today."

The lady laughs angrily. "A bit of clever planning by your not-deceased wife then?"

"She didn't find out till yesterday herself," He says impatiently.

Diaspro Blake curls her pretty painted lips ironically. "The situation is rather odd, don't you think? In the palace is the woman that you were once married to, and you're meeting the woman that you're going to marry right now."

His temper rose, "There are plenty of women that I'm not married to either. I could be seeing them too!"

"Oh, you can be snappy too, can you?"

"I'm sorry Diaspro. I didn't mean to snap at you." Louis apologizes as he bows his head in shame.

"I'm sorry Louis, for having to do this to you, but I'll leave you to your conscience." Diaspro said a she started for the door and slammed it as she stepped out. Bang! The door was shut and Diaspro is on the other side of it.

Louis stares at the closed door for a while, thinking. He realizes with a start that he can't seem to carry out a simple conversation with the woman he's engaged to because his 'late wife' had returned. Could that be because deep down in his heart, he know that he still love Corrine? Breaking away from his thoughts, he strolls to the grand piano at the center of the room and plays from some of his music notes.

It has been a while since he played from those notes. Ten years to be exact. The tune he played is so simple and winsome that it may have been sung by the two little girls with pure, clear, childish voices; in a summer meadow, by a mountain lake that mirrors the blue heaven. The heaven that is high above our understanding, where the sun shines, warming all creatures that it meets, without thinking if it were good, bad or indifferent.

* * *

 **I'd like to thank everyone for all their lovely reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me.**

 **Thank you PrincessGeekelle for you little note about the divorce stuff and how they never actually got divorced. At first, I was thinking of having them get divorced, but changed my mind about that when I wrote more. I wasn't really paying much attention to that when I put up chapter 12, and I've made small changes to chapter 1, so they were never actually divorced.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	14. Christmas Wish

It is known that time heals wounds, but it can also cure sickness. Louisa was well again. Both girls helped a little around the palace, got stuck in the passageways, sang duets as Louisa (and sometimes Louis) played the piano or took Prince out for walks. Prince had adjusted himself to the two-fold Courtney, first by doubling his love, and then by halving it. He had to learn to find a solution somehow.

But sometimes, the sisters just looked into each other's eyes and wondered what would happen to them now?

* * *

Christmas that year was a happy one. They were sitting by the fireplace late at night and were singing Christmas carols, while Louis played the piano. Now he swings around the stool and says, "Tell me why you wouldn't let us give you presents."

Courtney took a deep breath and answers, "Because we want something that can't be bought."

"What is it that you want darling?" Corrine asks. "I'm sure that we can find or make it for you."

Now it is Louisa's turn to take a deep breath. Then she exclaims, wiggling around with excitement. "The present that we both want is to live in one place together forever as a whole family." The secret is out at last.

Their parents say nothing.

Courtney adds very softly, "Then, you don't have to get us presents for as long as we live! Not for birthdays, Christmas or anytime in between. Never at all!"

Their parents remain silent.

"Can we try it anyways?" Louisa asks with tears in her eyes, desperation in her voice. "We'll be ever so good. A lot better than we are now. And then everything will be a lot, a lot a lot better."

Courtney nods. "We promise!"

"Word of honor and cross our hearts." Louisa adds quickly.

Louis gets up from the piano stool, "If you agree, Corrine, I think we should have a word in the next room."

* * *

"So, what do we do about the girls?" Corrine asks as she plops herself onto a chair in Louis' study. She has a vague memory of spending afternoons in that chair during rainy days.

"I guess now that they've met, we can't very well keep them apart. Plus it might be awkward for you to stay here when there's another woman living here. I could keep them half the year and you could-" Louis starts.

"But then, they would have go to two schools every year. Think of how hard it will be for the girls. Having the tutor when they're here, and going to regular school when they're with me. Plus, they'll be spending a few years at Princess Charm School."

"Okay, I could keep them for a whole year, then you could—" Louis starts again before he is interrupted by Corrine. Oh, how much he missed her and her little comments.

"But then we won't be satisfying the girls. Don't you understand?"

"I know. They want us to be together. And I've wanted to be with you too, since I was seventeen. But now I'm engaged to another woman and can't have you." He pauses for a moment, as if he were thinking deeply. "Why did you leave? We were all so happy together."

"I didn't want to go. I really didn't. But I had to go. It was the better way for both of us. I realized that several years ago."

"What do you mean, better for both of us?" Louis asks confusedly.

"You know how I became a noble by marriage?"

Louis nods, "But I don't see how it's connected."

"A lot people hated that I was queen. I guess some wanted a queen of noble birth. They would send letters telling me to leave, but I couldn't leave you. I loved you with all my heart."

"You loved me? As in the past tense?"

"No, I still love you with all my heart. But you've pledged yourself to another woman now. Anyways, back to what happened. I tore every letter that they sent me in my office so you wouldn't see it. When the girls were 1, there was a letter that threatened that they would kill you if I didn't leave within the next 24 hours. I got really upset about it. I tore it in front of you and you gave me an odd look, but never said anything about it."

"I remember that day. You looked so angry. As if you wanted to rip a door apart." Louis says with a small laugh, but stops when Corrine sends him a death glare.

"That night, Louisa couldn't fall asleep, so I took her from the crib and started walking in the garden with her. A man came out of nowhere and grabbed her from me. He held a gun to her head and threatened to kill the both of us right there on the spot. "

"He what? How dare he try to kill my daughter?" Louis cries.

"It's alright Louis. She wasn't hurt. Basically, long story short I was too tired and had no way of fighting him, so I surrendered to what he wanted and left you. When I think back at it, I wonder why I was so stupid, and so powerless. I should've tried harder, fought harder, or something. But you didn't come after me. You promised. And you broke it," Corrine says as tears starts streaking down her face. All her sorrow and anger has been released, and she no longer knows what to think of this situation anymore.

The room stays silent.

"I did. I tried to keep my part of the deal. For years, I sent search parties. They always came back empty handed. Then someone came and told me you were dead."

"I never died. You should have believed that I'd come back and not get yourself engaged to another woman."

"I can see that. It was a mistake on my part. But I never wanted to get engaged and I still love you. With my whole heart. Can't you stay?"

"Louis, can we get back to talking about the girls please? I don't see any other way of doing this. It would hurt too much to see you with another woman. And I'm not sure if I'm ready to see you so often after all the pain you put me through."

 _Pain, what pain have you gone through that I haven't? I had to believe that my wife was dead. I was forced to propose to another woman. And you think my life was perfect when you were gone? Think again._ Louis silently raged in his mind as he listened to Corrine.

"You put a wound in my heart. It was starting to heal, but seeing you has peeled off the scab and made it start to hurt again. The best solution is if our girls would just go back and forth every year. It's the best we can do." Plus, she thought, he doesn't really deserve me after all the pain and sorrow he caused me. I don't think I can forgive him yet. Not until he does something to prove that he really loves me, he needs to do more than say those words.

"But can't you consider staying here? I'll do anything to prove to you that I love you." Louis says in an attempt to persuade Corrine to stay.

"No."

* * *

 **Thanks for waiting for this chapter and I hope you liked it.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	15. Goodbye Again

The next morning, everyone's up really early to say goodbyes to Louisa and Corrine as they leave Paris to return to Vienna.

"All set then. Where's Louisa?"

"I just got one of the maids to tell them to come down, she should be on her way down." Louis says, stealing a glance at the woman besides him.

"Okay, so Louisa's coming to see you for the summer when school's out."

"And I'll send the two of them back to you the year after that."

The door to the castle opened and Louisa and Courtney step out, dressed identically in their Princess Charm school uniform. It's impossible to tell them apart.

"This one's Louisa, I'm positive." Louis says as he points to Courtney

"I hope you're right. You wouldn't want to have the wrong kid all the way back in Vienna a month before school starts do you?" Courtney says with a smile.

Louis looks to Corrine, he can't be sure.

"Here's our proposition. We pack our stuff and the four of us leave on our trip to the cottage." Louisa says.

"The four of us?" Louis asks.

"And when you bring us back, we'll tell you who's Louisa and who's Courtney." Courtney said with a smile.

"Or... You do as we say and I take one of you back with me to Vienna whether you like or not. The two of you can switch when school starts again." Corrine points out as she crosses her arms.

Louisa and Courtney look at each other and have a little discussion in their minds before Louisa turns to her mom and says, "Okay. You kind of have a point. I'm going to go home with you and I guess I'll see Courtney at school."

"But it's such a shame that the plan didn't work out. You have no idea how much I wanted to have a permanent mom." Courtney says as a tear rushes down her cheek.

"And how much I wanted a dad." Louisa says with a sigh.

"You do have a permanent mom. I just won't always be with you." Corrine says as she bends down to wipe the tears that are streaming down Courtney's face.

"I know. But it isn't the same." Courtney says with a sigh.

"But we need to leave. My mother's all alone in Vienna, and I don't want her to be too lonely. She already had to spend Christmas alone." Corrine says regretfully.

Louis and Courtney watch sadly watching as a carriage driver loads the baggage into the trunk. The girls hug and promise to see each other at school.

Then Louis and Corrine hug in a distant way and let go very quickly.

"Take care of yourself, Louis. And I wish you the best of luck in your new life with, um- What's her name again? Oh, right, Diaspro. "

"You too. Just remember to stop by at the palace if you're passing by."

The trunk is closed and Corrine hugs Courtney hard while Louis hugs Louisa. Corrine and Louisa wave, then duck into the carriage. As the carriage pulls off, Courtney looks up to Louis. He turns away and walks towards the gardens, only to hear a blood curling scream. When he turns around, he sees a group of men starting to surround Courtney. He runs to go and help her, praying that Corrine had somehow heard the scream and would come and help.

Louis was wondering how those men had gotten in. But there was no time to wonder, because a fight was going to be happening in about two seconds.

The men were getting closer to Courtney and Louis was now twelve feet away from helping his daughter. But when one man was about to touch her, a jewel was fired and hit the man's hand, leaving him startled.

Louis turned in the direction where the jewel was fired to see Louisa and Corrine. They smiled at Courtney as she pulled off her long skirt, to reveal a shorter skirt.

The three of them leap into action.

Corrine pulled out three swords from her dress and tossed them to Louisa and Courtney before heading off toward a group of men.

* * *

Courtney holds the sword in her hand for a while, simply feeling the sword fit perfectly into her hand. She stood near the side at first, a little nervous to join the chaos, simply watching her mother and sister fight with grace, agility and skill.

She soon decided to go and help in the fight, so she ran out to one of the men that Louisa was fighting.

He laughed a little loudly, "The little girl wants to face me? I'd like to see how easily I can beat her?"

Courtney wrinkled her nose for a second before lunging at the man and taking away his sword. "Who are you calling a little girl now?" she asked as he ran away in fear.

As she was standing in the middle of all the chaos, thinking about her first victory against someone else, her sword was suddenly snatched from her hand.

The guard who took her sword smirked, "So much for playing the brave girl?" He raised one of his swords, but right as his sword touched her arm, it was yanked away.

Her eyes grew wide as she watched her sister do and aerial. When he tried to hit Louisa as well, she simply stepped aside and kicked him in the thigh, causing him to fall and drop his sword.

Louisa dusted her hands as he ran away. "No one messes with my twin without expecting severe consequences."

"Thanks for the help Louisa."

"No problem. Sisters look out for each other. Now, let's go and fight." Louisa exclaimed as she raised her sword triumphantly in the air. The two of them ran together towards a group of men to help their mom.

Louisa turned to glance at Courtney who was smiling like a Cheshire cat. "Courtney? Why are you smiling like that. Have you any idea about how serious this situation is? Aren't you feeling a little scared about your first battle?"

"Yes. But it's so much fun. There's no need to worry about being all prim and proper. I honestly don't even know what or how I'm doing all this. Maybe it's all the training that you put me through." She replied as she dodged a man and tripped another.

When the group of men around them had diminished, Louisa took one look around the courtyard. All men were down, except the one who was trying to climb the wall.

Corrine had shot a glance and him and gasped, "I know you. You were the one who made me leave!"

The man gave a laugh. "Ah, yes. I remember now, it was such a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"Mom," Louisa started, "I think it's time to take him on and finish this battle with him." She finished as she, Courtney and Corrine gathered around him to finish him off.

"My misery began with you when I fled the palace nine years ago, and it's going to end today." Corrine said as she kicked his sword out of his hand and punched him in the face.

His eyes opened wide from the impact of the blow and he fell to the ground.

"Well, I think we're finished here girls. He's dead to the world and will never wake up. But, I think the guards should keep him in a cell just in case he somehow comes up from the dead." Corrine announces as she dusts off her hands. "I believe it's time for us to head home now Louisa."

The two girls cling to each other, not wanting to let go and leave each other. "Must we really mom?" Louisa complains.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Your grandmother is waiting for us. And I hope that you'll come and visit me, Courtney when you return to Princess Charm School and Vienna." Corrine says as she wraps her arms around her daughters.

"I'll go and prepare the carriage," James announces before leaving the family to themselves for a bit.

"Mom, I know that right now, all we have is a broken family. A family that's all broken up and torn apart. But we can fix this. Secrets are what break a family, but the truth sets them free. I really believe this, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head." Louisa announces as she moves to hold her mother's hand, forming a circle between the three of them.

"I know sweetheart. The truth sets them free. That's what I used to whisper to you when you were asleep and I thought of your father and sister." Corrine then turns to Courtney and lifts her chin up so that she's looking straight into her eyes. "Courtney, I really do believe, that one day we might have the chance to live together. For me to be your permanent mom that lives in the same house as you. But until that day, remember. The truth has the power to set a family free. And the fact that I love you isn't a lie. it's the plain old truth."

"I've prepared the carriage for you. It's ready to go." James suddenly says, interrupting the tender moment between a mother and her daughter.

Everyone gives each other final hugs before Corrine and Louisa slowly climb into the carriage for the second time that day. Louisa is trying to imprint this last memory of her whole family together. She doesn't notice the carriage pulling out of the driveway, or the tears on her sister's face as she waves goodbye and drops her hand in defeat.

* * *

As the carriage pulls off for the second time that day, Courtney looks up to Louis, offering him a pitiful little smile. He turns away and walks inside...

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for not having updated sooner. We've been getting lots of homework at school and I've been trying to write and fix that fight scene. It's so frustrating, but I think it's pretty good for a first time. Your reviews have been really encouraging and I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed.**

 **Cheerio,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	16. Another Brilliant Idea

Five minutes after her mother and sister pulled out of the driveway, Courtney was lying on her bed, hugging Constance tightly, not bothering to wipe the tears that were streaming down her face.

Shannon comes in quietly and sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "Do you want to talk, Courtney?" she asked.

But Courtney just shook her head. There was a time where talking to Shannon would make her feel better. After all, for the majority of her life, Shannon had been the closest thing that she had to a mother. But now, everything has changed. She had found out that she had a real mother- her very own mother who was kind, wonderful and caring. She had found out what her mother was like after dreaming for years, and she got to come face to face with her mother. Throw her arms around her like she couldn't let go. How could she even start to imagine a life without her mother now?

The life she had, had for so long now seemed like a whole lifetime ago. She can't imagine just living with dad, Shannon, Prince and all the servants in a unoccupied castle anymore, without thinking of what she's missing out back in Vienna. Mom, Louisa and grandma.

It's enough to make her wish that Louisa hadn't won the lottery and gone to Princess Charm School, never found out about having so many things in common and being twins, never let Louisa persuade her to switch places, never stayed in Vienna to meet her mother. Because if those things hadn't happened, she wouldn't be hurting so much or feel so broken.

Courtney sniffles and lets out a heartbreaking sob. A few more tears slide down her face and fall on her pillow. _It's all my fault_ , she thinks bitterly _, because I was the one who agreed to do this. If I hadn't agreed, Louisa wouldn't have thought this was possible and asked Trista, Aria and Rose for help._ She remembers that night when she and Louisa were the only ones at Princess Charm School when they were all giddy with excitement about switching places while bringing their parents back together. _If only I hadn't caved in to Louisa's idea at all._

* * *

Ten minutes after his wife and daughter pulled out of the driveway, Louis is pacing back and fourth in his study. He isn't aware of what he's doing anymore as he pulls books from a shelf, reads the title and shoves it back onto the shelf in a different order. He just knows that he has to stay busy, that he'll do anything to avoid thinking about what had just happened. After years of missing Corrine and thinking that she was dead, not being there for his other daughter Louisa, he wanted nothing more to be with them. He was so _close_ to getting them back – only to lose them. For a second time.

He's so preoccupied that he doesn't notice Courtney enter his study. She's looking for him. _He's the only other person who knows what I'm feeling right now_ , she thinks. Courtney knew that he'd be in here, but she had never seen her dad handle the books so roughly. He's usually super gentle with them, is always telling her to be gentler with the books and to organize her books alphabetically or by size. As she crosses the study, Louis doesn't even notice that she's there until she's standing right next to him, with her hand on his shoulder.

"Hello, Courtney," he said softly, turning to look at her. Upon the sight of her tear stained face, a swarm of guilt rushes to him and a desperate urge to comfort her. _This is all my fault_ , he thinks. "You know, when your nose turns all red, it makes you look like Rudolph. Now, if only it would glow. Then, you really would be Rudolph."

He chuckles without smiling and watches Courtney for her reaction. But, she can't even pretend to laugh for her dad's sake. Her expression remains mournful, and a new thought slams into him _; My jokes aren't good enough for her anymore. She needs her mother. Her sister. And her grandmother. She needs a woman to guide her through life. She needs more girls by her side.  
_

And just as suddenly, and idea appears in his mind, it's already perfectly planned. Excited, Louis grabs her shoulders, and startles her, but he's so flushed with excitement, that he doesn't notice.

"Courtney!" he cries, as she stares at him in confusion. "What are we doing here? We're just feeling sorry for ourselves, while they're getting- away!"

"You mean…"

"Yes exactly. Louis cries, interrupting her. He frees her shoulders and begins to pace back and fourth. "This is basically the same thing as what she did eight years ago." Louis feels guilty over what he just said. It sounds like an accusation so he quickly continues his thought, "It was all my fault. I let her go. That's what she told me." He stops pacing for a moment and points at the couch that Courtney was standing in front of. "Right there. She was sitting there when she told me 'you didn't come after me. You promised. And you broke it' Okay… okay. So I never personally went after her because I sent out guards. How was I supposed to know that she wanted me to do that? But, I do now. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"So…" Courtney starts slowly. Not wanting to believe what he's saying, because it sounds too good to be true. "So you're going to go after her?"

"Yes, of course. I'm going after her."

Courtney squeals in excitement before placing a hand over her mouth. "Ops. I should be using an indoor voice now. Sorry papa. I'm just really excited about this. But I've got a correction. You are not going after them. We are going after them. Together."

"You're right. But we shouldn't be letting them get away. Go and have Shanon pack you a small bag. Or just pack it yourself if she's busy. Were leaving as soon as possible."

Courtney's spirits rise again, but all the bumps from her changing emotions almost left her speechless. "Packed? Where are we going? To the airport?" she whispers in confusion.

"No! Not the airport!" Louis cries as he waves his hands impatiently. "To Vienna! You go and pack a little something, while I find James and get him to prepare the jet plane."

He pauses for a moment, "No, I've changed my mind. We aren't taking a plane." Courtney's heart sank when she heard this, but brightened up when she heard his next sentence. "We're going to take the hot air balloon. I'll have James add the engine to the back so that we can get there even faster. Your mother loved going on balloon rides."

"Dad?!" Courtney calls, as she rushes after him. Louis turns to look at her and they both smile as she says, "Dad, it's another brilliant idea! I love this one!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes after Corrine and Louisa pulled out of the driveway for a second time, Shannon watches Courtney and Louis in wonder. Courtney is running back and forth grabbing random things, while Louis makes big gestures with his hands to try and show James what he wants to be done to the hot air balloon. Their excitement has even spread to Prince who is running to and fro between the two of them, wagging his tail and barking happily.

Shannon laughs for a second as she takes this all in because she knows that it will only happen once, but can't help but wonder if something will go terribly wrong. She tries to make herself heard over the madness. "I'm not sure that this a good idea," she says a second time too prove her point.

Courtney looks up from a bag in which she's packed her textbooks, Constance her doll and a formal evening gown (don't ask me how she got it in there. I honestly have no idea about that). She's so overcome with joy that she's hardly aware of what she's packing. "Shannon, why don't you like this idea? Why don't you want me to go"

Shannon sighs. "I don't get why you need this to go and see your mom for a day or two. You still have about a month of vacation left. I'm not taking sides. It's not that I don't want you to go. It's just that it was your mum's decision to go back to Vienna. I don't think…"

"Were you no the one who said that I needed more girls nearby? I don't think there's anything that you can do to stop the two of us from going." Courtney says, as she pulls her textbooks from the bag, realizing that Shannon has a point and that she doesn't need this.

Louis hastily adds, in a commanding voice. "Am I not the King? Aren't you someone who should obey me? We are going to Vienna to go after Corrine and you really can't stop us."

Courtney brings her hands to her chest as she listens to her father, because her heart is beating so fast that it may burst out of her. Less than an hour ago, she was devastated about losing her mother ans sister. But now, she was full of excitement and hope.

"If you let us go, I'll make sure that you don't have to share a room with the other maids or lady in waitings." Louis adds slyly. "I know just how much you don't like to share a room with other people.

Shannon's mood changes immediately. She turns and runs into the kitchen. I'll go and have cook make those little sandwiches you like Courtney. I really don't want you hungry on the way to Vienna!

* * *

An hour and a half after Corrine and Louisa leave, Louis and Courtney are standing on the hot air balloon, in the middle of the sky. On their way to Vienna. To see her mother and sister.

"Dad," Courtney says softly. "Why did you want to marry Diaspro when you were in love with mom?"

"Oh, Courtney. I didn't want to. But I knew that I had to. I thought that your mother was dead, France needed a Queen and you needed a mom." Louis says before breaking down. "The Grand Visor was the one who picked her. And I hate her. I really do. I never really wanted to marry her. I called her and told her that I wasn't going to marry her when your mom left us earlier today because I realized that I couldn't live without her."

"So, does that mean that you wouldn't have married her anyways?" Courtney asked.

"No. I probably would have married her for you. You needed a mom and I couldn't fill that place up in your life."

"Dad, you know that you didn't have to do that. Things always have a way of working out on their own you know? We're going to get mom and Louisa back. I can feel it." Courtney says as she slips her hand into her father's hand.

"Yeah. I can too. Now, Courtney get some sleep. You'll be tired if you don't." Louis says as her gives her a hug and a kiss.

"Okay, I'll try Dad." She says, but she knows that she doesn't actually plan on sleeping. Courtney looks out from where she's standing and gazes at the sky. She doesn't see the sun lit clouds because she's too busy trying to picture the looks on her mom and sister's faces when they see her.

* * *

 **Thank you to all of you who have waited so patiently for this update. I hope it didn't disappoint you. School's been getting the better of me, and I'm so sorry for not giving you this sooner.**

 **Cheerio,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	17. At the Doorstep

Even Courtney's first two trips to Vienna – when she was nervous about going to Princess Charm School, pretending to be Louisa, meeting her mother and grandmother for the first time – wasn't this nerve wracking. Her dad was convinced that with the engines attached to the hot air balloon, they'd get there on time, if not twice as fast as a plane. however, the trip seemed twice as long to Courtney. There was plenty of time for her to wonder about what might go wrong with her father's plan. What if, it didn't work? What if her parents didn't get back together again? What if… Her stomach is tied in knots over her worrying.

But at least, this time she isn't going alone into this situation. Courtney and Louis don't really talk to each other as they're flying through the sky in the hot air balloon, since both of them are lost in their thoughts. But, whenever those _what ifs_ start to overwhelm her, she would squeeze his hand and feel better.

Between her excitement, her worries and the limited space in the hot air balloon, Courtney hadn't expected to sleep at all. But when her dad reminds her that she doesn't want bags under her eyes when she sees her mom and sister, Coureny takes a quick nap. She's still a bit tired from the landing at the field at the back of the airport, especially since it wasn't smooth. They had capsized! The taxi ride from the airport to Vienna's city square passes in a blur.

Louis buys some juice and cupcakes in the city square. He insists that Courtney eats something, even if she isn't hungry at all. They gulp down their food in nervous gulps as they watch people walk pass them.

Courtney takes a bite out of her cupcake. She's glad her dad made her eat something because she just realized how hungry she really is, since she only picked at the sandwiches on the balloon. She still doesn't know what to expect from the reunion with her mom and Louisa, but she's sure that it wouldn't be good if she fainted in the middle of it. "Thanks for letting me come dad." She adds.

Louis flashes her a smile. "Of course you're coming. You're the only one who knows how to get to their house."

Courtney smiles. She smiles when she thinks about seeing grandma again. If they get there before mom and Louisa, they might have time to- she stops the thought. Something about their plan seems a little off. _Grandma…_

"Oh, no!" She cries, jumping off the bench. "Dad, we forgot to call Grandma! She doesn't even know that we're in Vienna! What if she isn't home and we can't get in?" Suddenly, she's all worried again.

Louis gets up and grabs Courtney's hand as the start walking out of the city square. "Look. We've come so far already. Don't worry. We'll find a way in." But his brow crinkles and Courtney notices his hand twitch as they sit in the taxi on their way to her mom's house.

Their fears are confirmed when they arrive at the D'Artagan residence and get no answer to their repeated knocking. Courtney wants to scold herself for not having remembered about calling her grandmother. They called Shannon when they arrived and called Trista, Aria and Rose to ask them if they could slow Louisa and Corrine down. Courtney knows that her dad wants to be in the house when they arrive because it wouldn't look that nice if they came home and found them huddled on the doorstep, their clothes crinkled from their journey.

Courtney kneels down and peers through the slot in the door. The hallway and staircase look exactly like she remembers – cream colored walls and clothes hung up on the rack – but her grandmother remains unseen.

"Oh! I just remembered something!" she cries jumping up to her feet. She spins on her heel as she scans the yard. "When I was learning about their house at school, Louisa told me that there was a spare key hidden… But I can't remember where."

Courtney and Louis get on their hands and knees and lift up the stones that line the walkway in search of the spare key. The door, suddenly swings open. Courtney lifts up her head and sees her grandmother there looking confused and Courtney wonders if their knocking had disturbed her, or if she's just really surprised to see them crawling across the yard when they should've been in Paris.

"What's the…" she starts to ask, but Courtney and Louis start to interrupt her as they throw their arms around her. She manages to hear, "Grandma, it's me Courtney!" and "Mrs. D'Artagan, I know that we haven't seen each other in a long time, but I hope that…" and "…after mom and Louisa since dad couldn't bear to let them leave."

* * *

Ten minutes later, they're all in the kitchen warming up by the fire to warm themselves up as Mrs. D'Artagan heats up some tea for them to drink. She stays silent as they explain much more slowly why they came and how they got here. Courtney thinks that her silence is just because she's surprised, but she can't help but notice that she isn't smiling. First Shannon had told them that this wasn't a good idea, was her grandma going to tell them the same thing?

Finally, she pours herself a cup of peppermint tea, looks at Louis over her tea cup and says, "Louis, the last time you let her go and didn't look for her, you broke her heart."

Those words were like a slap to his face, yet, Louis forces himself not to look pained or hurt. He knows that he deserved those words and has to look strong if he wants to convince Mrs. D'Artagan that he deserves a second chance with her daughter. He places a hand on Courtney's shoulder, to stop her from leaping to defend him. "The last time we were together, Mrs D'Artagan," he says slowly, choosing his words wisely, "I made the mistake of sending out guards and not personally going after her myself. That's one of the many stupid mistakes that I made. I'm just sorry that I took so long to realize. Last time we were together… I let her go. It was stupid, but that's why I'm here now."

Mrs. D'Artagan nods, apparently satisfied with his answer and puts down her teacup. "Wait a moment. I'm going to go and get something that I want to show the two of you," she says before leaving the kitchen and returning a few minutes later. In her hands, there's a framed photograph, and holds it out not to Louis, but to Courtney.

"Courtney," her grandma says smiling, "this is your grandfather, Charles. He was the one who made your mother want to be a musketeer and go to Paris."

Courtney's eyes start to tear up, and she tears her eyes away for a moment to look at her dad with a question that's easily readable from her eyes. Louis shakes his head. "No, I never go to know him. I mean, I had meet him several timers when he was patrolling the palace when I was little, but that's all I can remember of him. But I wish I did get to know him better as a man."

Marie sighs, and you can still hear the sadness even though she lost him years ago. "He left us a long time ago," she says as she turns the picture back to herself, before gazing down at it. "Corrine was just a little girl when it happened." She looks at Louis for a moment as tears start brimming in her eyes, she smiles. "Louis, … some people never get a second chance to be with the person that they love. Don't forget that."

Even though, Louis is also suddenly teary eyed, he smiles back at her. "I won't forget that Mam… I mean Mrs. D'Artagan… I mean Marie… I think, that's the best advice that I've gotten in a long time.'

The two adults stare at each other for a moment, neither one speaking, least they change the atmosphere. "Now, I think we really need to surprise them."

Courtney's heart is pounding with excitement. "What do you have in mind grandma?" she manages to ask.

"Oh, I have a few ideas up my sleeve. Here's what you have to do," Marie says as she gathers the three of them into a huddle and whispers their instructions.

* * *

 **Thanks for being so patient with me and I hope that this chapter didn't disappoint.  
Feedback is always welcomed.**

 ** **Cheerio,****

 **Lasting Violet  
**


	18. Another Reunion

Louisa's head was spinning around. The day certainly didn't unfold how she and Courtney had planned. They never went camping, a battle was fought in the courtyard, but leaving her dad and sister were the worst parts.

Now, after getting off from the plane, they were bombarded by Trista, Aria, Rose and their mothers. They kept on dragging them off to look at something. It was almost as if they wanted to keep them (Louisa and Corrine) away from something or someone. Usually, she would have loved a distraction. But, she wasn't enjoying it right now.

All she wanted to do was to go home and cry, yet they were keeping her away from doing what she needed to do the most. She hadn't wanted to cry on the plane, because she knwe that it would make her look weak. The last thing that she wanted to do was let her mom think that she wasn't strong enough. Strong enough to handle saying goodbye and experience heartaches.

"Mom, can we just go home, rest and try to forget everything?" Louisa asks, looking into Corrine's eyes.

"I'd let you if I could, but I think Trista wants to show you a new school uniform that she made out of the scraps of the old uniform." Corrine answers as she wips some hair from Louisa's face. "But, as soon as it's over, we can go back home and see grandma. Maybe she'll have cupcakes for you."

Louisa sighs in dismay, but brightens up when she hears what Trista has to say. "Oh, it's alright. I can show you the uniforms later. I'll come and drag you to my house after breakfast or something like that."

Louisa reaches over to give Trista a hug. "Thanks Tris, you're the best. Especially since I know that you've been dying to show me the uniforms. I guess we'll see each other tonight or tomorrow."

"Goodbye everyone! We'll see you later." Corrine says as she waves and walks towards her car.

The two of them enter the car and buckle their seat belts. (safety first people) "Louisa, I know that this day has been a hard day for you, but don't think about what you've lost. You won't get anywhere by doing that. Cheer up. We'll be home soon." She says as she starts to drive to their house.

Their drive back home was anything but pleasant. There was a heavy cloud of silence put up in the air, and nobody spoke until they were standing in front of their door. "I'm so proud of you Louisa. Remember that I love you and that we'll go through this together." Corrine says as she gives Louisa's hand a tight squeeze.

They open the door and are greeted by Marie, who noticed how sad Louisa looked. "Cheer up Louisa. You're home. You should be happy. Especially when you see the surprise in your room. Just remember that you didn't hear that from me." She then turns to her daughter and says with a nod, "I think you should go see what it is. I think that you'll like it."

With that, Louisa flew up the stairs to her room, with her mother walking up the stairs behind her at a fairly moderate pace.

* * *

Courtney's been standing in the doorway of Louisa's closet wondering what's taking her mom and sister so long. She peeks at her watch for the twelfth time, and realizes that only twenty minutes have passed. She wishes that her mother and sister would come back soon.

It seems like her dad, who's hiding in the closet is thinking the same thing because he whispers, "Maybe we shouldn't have told your friends to keep them away from the house for so long. I'm starting to feel sore in this position."

"Hang on there dad. I'm sure that they'll be back soon." Courtney tells him as she gazes at her watch again.

At that moment, they hear the door open and Marie greet Louisa and Corrine. "Shush dad. I think that they'll be here at any moment now."

* * *

Louisa runs up to her room, takes a deep breath and starts to scream when she hears a voice in her room say, "Welcome back stranger." She peeks into her room and can't believe her eyes. "Hi, Louisa. It's nice to see you again.

She blinks again, not wanting to believe what she's seeing. But when she opens her eyes again, she's still there. It isn't a dream. Her sister who's leaning against her closet is real. "What are you doing here Courtney? You're supposed to be in Paris, not here." Louisa stutters in amazement.

At that moment, Corrine arrives at the door and gasps in amazement. Her other daughter is at her house."What are you doing here?" she asks in amazement. "I mean, I wouldn't mind you coming to visit, but I didn't think that it would be so fast."

"It took us around thirty seconds after you left to realize that we didn't want to lose you two again. So, we came back to find you. That's after I knocked some sense into dad's brain though." Courtney states matter of factly, as if it were completely obvious.

"We?" Corrine asks in bewilderment.

"Yup. You heard right, it's we. I made the mistake of not coming after you once, I wasn't going to do it again... no matter how brave and strong you think you are." Louis says with a smile as he pops out of the closet and walks up to her.

Corrine looks at Louis, her eyes once again filling up, a smile on her face. "Thank you."

They stand frozen, their eyes locked on each other. The room silent until it's broken by a loud whisper.

"Psst….." Louisa whispers before walking into the closet and signals for Courtney to follow her. In the closet, Louisa gives Courtney a bone crushing hug. "We did it. Having dad come after mom fixed it. We'll be a whole family again."

Courtney squeals. "You know, Louisa, I think I'll enjoy living together as one family.

Louisa gives Courtney a light push, "You better like it. Or else, all our hard work would have been for nothing."

Courtney's about to answer Louisa with a sarcastic remark when she hears the door open and close. The two of them dash out of the closet to find a note on Louisa's bed.

 _We're out for a walk.  
Be back soon,  
_

 _Mom and Dad_

"Oh, Courtney! What do you think they mean by that? You don't possibly think that something went wrong and they're talking about something serious?" Louisa gasps after reading the letter.

"Oh, I don't know. Hopefully not. Maybe we should go ask grandma if she knows anything and if not we'll go after them." Courtney says glancing back and forth in the room.

* * *

 **I guess I've been writing twice as fast because we're on Christmas break, so you get two chapters today!**

 **Cheerio,**

 **Lasting Violet**


	19. Happily Ever After

Marie was sitting comfortably in the kitchen a she waited for the cupcakes to bake when her two granddaughters burst through the door, yelling, "Grandma! Grandma! Where did mom and dad go?"

"Don't worry dear girls; I believe that they went out for a balloon ride. Your father said something about going to the big field near the airport. I believe that it's called Cavendish hill" Marie said with a smile. She loved seeing the two of them together, sharing secrets, playing together and simply being sisters.

"May we go see them grandmother," Courtney asks her with a smile. "I promise you that we won't come back and pound on the door."

"Yes, you may go. But, I think that even if I said no, you'd have gone anyways."

"Thank you grandma!" Louisa and Courtney both exclaim as they blow her a kiss and rush out of the door.

"Marie shakes her head in amusement. "Young people these days, always running off to and fro."

* * *

The two of them ran across the street to Aria's house and the door was soon opened at the sound of frantic knocking. "Rose, Trista and Aria, do you want to come with us? I think that if we ran we could catch a glimpse of mother and father on the balloon."

"We're going!" Trista exclaimed running through the door.

"Yeah. It would be silly for us not to go after all the hard work trying to get your parents together." Rose chimed as they started running.

It was a twenty minute run, and they had to stop several times for Courtney to catch her breath. "Sorry. Still not used to running long distances. I think a carriage is for travelling long distances, not running yourself to your death."

They arrived just in time to see the balloon start to descend from the air. Once again, the balloon capsized. But it also happened to knock down the girls. "Sorry girls." Corrine calls from where she's lying down on ground. "I'm afraid Louis never really mastered how to land the balloon."

"It's alright mom. Only Trista's dress got a little dirty from the fall. I'm sure that she'll get over it eventually." Courtney yelled back, smiling as she receives a death glare from Trista.

The girls got up, gathered in a circle and started jumping around chanting, "We did it! We did it! We did it!"

Corrine laughs. 'They're all acting as if they just won a huge battle or completed a mission. But I suppose that this could be considered a mission. So, congratulations girls. And thank you. For getting us back together."

"Yes, I think I shall forever be in your debt. You brought the love of my life back to me, or I to her. If there's anything that I can do for you, I shall try to do it." Louis hastily added.

The five girls quickly huddle to discuss something. After several minutes they break apart and Rose slowly says, "The only thing that we'd ask is if we could spend the rest of our break in Paris with you at the palace. That is the five of us girls and our mothers."

"I don't see why not.' Louis says after rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

* * *

After going home and inviting grandma to visit them in Paris, Rose, Aria and Trista went home to inform their mothers of the sudden trip to Paris. Grandma had told them that she wouldn't go to Paris with them now, because it was on such short notice, but Louisa thought that it was really because she needed time to process everything. She herself couldn't believe that they had reunited her mom and dad.

Mom and dad were going to go back to Paris by hot air balloon because 'apparently', it was more 'romantic'. While, the rest of them were going to take a privet jet. Courtney wasn't so very enthusiastic about flying twice in one day, but Louisa, Trista, Aria and Rose were ecstatic about taking a privet jet. Come to think about it, their moms were all gushing about how it brought back so many memories and were telling stories the whole trip, so no one got any sleep at all.

Trista had proudly presented them with their new uniforms that she had made herself. They were a perfect fit, even though she only had one of Louisa's old dresses to measure them by. The girls had decided that they would spend the rest of their break either in formal wear or the handmade uniforms.

* * *

The five girls were running through the secret passageways, looking for a hiding place to hide from their mothers when they reached a big and heavy door. With lots of combined effort, the five girls managed to push the door back and they were enveloped in a cloud of dust.

Coughing and sputtering, they entered the room and found several large chests covered in purple cloth. Louisa slowly approaches the cloth and lifts it up with strained effort. She then moves on and opens the box a tiny bit. "Oh goodness gracious! I think you should have a look at this! Get over here Courtney!" she says as she opens the box and lets the lid hit the wall.

"How come I've never seen this before?" Courtney stammered in confusion once she looks into the box.

Aria, Rose and Trista gather around the chest to see what's inside the box, but its a little dark with five heads all crowding around. Rose hops onto another chest, moves her hand against the wall and finds a curtain. She yanks the curtain back and sunlight floods the room.

They were staring at a painted portrait of the royal family. Louis was holding a baby and Corrine was holding the other. They looked all happy together and the love that they had for each other was evident in their eyes. The light was shinning onto the plaque underneath, and it stated that Louis had Louisa while Courtney was with Corrine.

Suddenly a knock is heard on the door and their mothers enter the room. "We found you!" Aramina exclaims.

"You were all really loud opening that door so it wasn't that hard to find you all!" Viveca says as she twirls her hair around her fingers.

"Mom!" Courtney says softly, "I think that you should take a look at this."

Corrine slowly walks over to where the girls are gathered and lets out a gasp when she sees what's in the chest. "I thought that this was gone! I can't believe that it's here safe and sound! It's from your first birthday girls. I really never believed that I'd see a picture of what our family was like back then. When we were a whole and complete family."

Louisa grabs her mom and Courtney by the wrists and drags them into a corner of the room. "Mom, our family was all broken, but it's fixed now. Right?"

"Remember mom, secrets break families, but truth sets them free. It's happened hasn't it! Talking to dad righted all the wrongs!" Courtney excitedly exclaims.

"Yes. And I'll finally have the chance to be your permanent mother, Courtney. The kind that you'll get to see all the time. I love you so much. You have no idea how proud I am to call you my daughter." Corrine says with a smile.

"Hey! What about me?" Louisa asks, pretending to be cross.

"Don't worry, I'm proud of you too. The both of you!" A new voice says as Louis steps out of the shadows. "Now, I believe Corrine that we have a balloon date now!"

"Ops. I guess I forgot!" Corrine exclaims as Louis drags her out of the room.

* * *

"I guess I forgot how nice Paris looks from the sky." Corrine said with a sigh, her gaze on the sky never faltering.

"I guess you did. My dear. Now, I have a question for you, if you'd allow me to get a word I'm saying into your brain."

"Corrine suddenly jolts up. She has a feeling that something is going to happen. "Go on Louis. I'm listening."

"Would you stay with me here in Paris when our girls go back to school in Vienna? I know that I wronged you in many ways, but I love you so much. Give me the chance to show you just how much you mean to me!" Louis says as he grabs her hand and plants a soft and delicate kiss on her hand.

"Yes. I will stay with you. But, there's one other thing that's on my mind…" Corrine trails off nervously.

"What is it dearest. I promise you that I'll answer your question to the best of my abilities." Louis says looking into her eyes.

"Why here? Why did you decide to wait till now to ask me this?" Corrine whispers.

"Well, I guess I wanted to do this where it all began. You saving me here on the balloon. It wouldn't have been the same if we were flying over Vienna. It all began over Paris' sky." Louis pauses to take a deep breath. "Plus, this is where I asked you to marry me. I wanted to fix our marriage where it began. Where our relationship began. Where I really started living a life." He finishes with a smile.

"Oh, Louis I think that might be the sweetest thing that you've said to me in a long time." Corrine said as she let out a sigh.

'That's only because I hadn't seen you for a long time!" he teased her.

* * *

"Don't they look so sweet together?" Aramina gushes from where she's standing on the chest looking out the window at the two love birds in the hot air balloon.

"I suppose so." Louisa answers doubtfully. She had wanted her parents to be together for her whole life, but now that she had that, she wasn't sure if she was ready for all the surprises that it would bring.

Suddenly, she felt someone squeeze her hand. "Don't worry," Courtney chided lightly. "I'll be there with you and for you. Even if the world is blown apart, because I love you. And we're twins, now and forever."

"I know that you will. You're my _twin_ sister. And I wouldn't ask for it to be anyone else." Louisa said, looking into those perfectly identical icy blue eyes of her sister. "I love you too Courtney."

* * *

 **I know that the beginning of this chapter seems a bit rushed and unorganized, but I have no other idea of how to write it differently, so yeah.**

 **It feels so good to say that I've finally finished my first multi chapter fic. Of course it might not have happened without the help and support of so many people.**

 **Thank you to every one that stuck with me throughout the whole story.**  
 **I'd like to thank WinterWonders725 for helping me edit and encouraging me when I fell into the depths of despair.  
Another big thank you to Weatherbug02 for giving me tips tricks and feedback.**  
 **Thank you to all of you lovely people who have left a review for me and brightened my day. A huge thank you to those who followed and favorited this too! (I'd name you all, but I'm afraid that it'll take forever.) You have no idea how much it means to me! And to those who have just read this from start to finish, thank you for putting up with not getting a new chapter for weeks, but still finishing this with me.  
**

 **I hope everyone reading this has enjoyed it, and I apologize if you haven't but are still reading this author's note.**

 ** **Cheerio** ,**

 **Lasting Violet  
**


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